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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
cloudman4utoday said 11:05AM on 9-01-2008
Whichever artist decides to boycott iTunes I'll be sure to boycott as a consumer and not purchase any of their over priced CDs. What a joke; People finally have a way to purchase music they enjoy and the money-grubbing artists don't like it.
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Jo T said 12:02PM on 9-01-2008
Until you see that Apple are going to REINVENT THE ALBUM....
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1035333&c=1
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NJSniper said 6:15PM on 9-01-2008
Greed and mediocrity killed the record business. Sounds like they never learn.
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Frank said 7:06PM on 9-01-2008
If an artist truly wants to sell their album and make good profits, then they need to produce albums with consistantly re-listenable tracks instead of putting 2-3 meaty ones and the rest being just filler.
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Emma said 10:26PM on 9-01-2008
I have to agree that the artists are just being greedy. I mean, iTunes does have an album only feature but people (me included) hate it. The whole point of iTunes was to be able to buy the tracks that you like and not the whole album. I don't buy regular cds anymore, anyway. All the ones I have are in iTunes.
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Souette said 11:22PM on 9-01-2008
The writer nailed it! Each album now days only has 2 or 3 "good" songs worth listening to over and over. Used to be you could lay in bed with your headphones on and listen to the newest LP over and over for days while reading the entire album cover inch for inch. I you were really lucky, the album came in a double cover which opened up and you were in heaven with all the photos and words. Now, it's a blessing if you can actually read the #4 font on the 5 x 5 inch CD cover. C'mon you 21st Century music artist....put out some REAL work in choosing your music. Most of you have been flacid in your attempts to put a real album together yet you still over-charge for the weak albums/music to support your "BLING!" You're going to be a "Behind the Music" episode before to long if you remain greedy.
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Brad said 12:19AM on 9-02-2008
Well, I guess it's a good thing that I don't listen to these bands and their so-called "music" anyway. When will these record companies learn to change with the times and technology? The bands should be happy that people who use iTunes are still PAYING for the songs when there are millions of people who illegally download entire albums with sites like Limewire. It's all about greed and especially coming from artists who have millions of dollars (has Metallica boycotted iTunes yet?). Most of these people make their money going on tour. It's been almost a year since I've purchased a cd and I don't plan on buying another one now that I can buy the music online and download it to my ipod.
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AnthonyT said 8:40AM on 9-02-2008
Fans of an artist will always want to buy and have their whole album where as casual listeners want to just have the popular tracks. iTunes is a great way for people like me to listen to new bands without having to drop $15 on an album. I guess these artists would rather make no money (boycotting iTunes or having their songs downloaded from file sharing sites) than some money. Now that they got most of the file sharing sites either out of business or legal it sounds like an attempted money grab. Sorry guys, I'll pass on your new "music" and listen to Tom Petty's Greatest Hits on my ipod. Jackasses!
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