Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David Schaubhut said 4:20PM on 4-01-2008
April Fools! No way will this ever happen. There is roughly a $30 loyalty fee to Sony for a Blu Ray drive + the cost of the actual hardware. AND, since not all 360's have one, games are ONLY ever going to be released on DVD. Why would microsoft pay so much money, and take such a hit in contribution margin to offer movie playback and compete with their own on demand xbox 360 vidoe content? They wouldn't! Ridiculous article.
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Benjamin F. said 5:43PM on 4-01-2008
First off money is never a subject of concern for Microsoft. Doesnt matter if they have to pay 3x the amount, Bill Gates only cares about one thning. DOMINATION OF THE MARKET. Were talking about a guy who stole the format for the entire Windows operating system as well as the technology for the mouse. He has built an empire from stealing and modifying technology. To think that Gates is going to sit around twittling his thumbs while a market that generates 100's of millions of dollars passes him by is atrocious. Not to mention how terrible 360s current movie purchasing system works. First you have to buy Microsoft points then you have to scroll through a list which includes hundreds of movies arbitrarily placed (can you tell me what Stephen Kings "It" is doing in the new releases?). With every movie distribution company signing exclusive contracts to blue-ray any person with two hemispheres of a brain and a teaspoon of common sense can tell what the future holds.
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John Mason said 11:36AM on 4-02-2008
I own a 360 repair shop. Microsoft will need to catch up fast. They cut a lot of corners when it comes to manufacturing, but they have trained their consumer to expect all kinds of issues with gaming hardware. One of the main causes for failure of the old style 360s is overheating of the gpu (graphics processing unit.) The HD DVD technology overheats 360s the best. That's why they came up with the quick fix (sometimes) of the current 360 consoles. Their software only allows 2 disc items (internal DVD & external) to run on the 360 anyway. The alternative would be some people trying to hook up external HD & BD drives to their 360? They will move into the BD business with an internal drive and a rethought main board. This will be painful, but 360 owners have come to expect Microsoft treating their console like a crappy PC that can't be upgraded. They've learned to sell their old console on eBay and run to Wal-mart for a new one. Sony is paying Microsoft for the "rumble" feature, and MS is happy to pay them with some of their own money for BD. Microsoft will continue to dominate this market in all ways.
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