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)
Reginald E Johnson said 5:02PM on 5-13-2009
Who wants to drive a Yugo when you can have a Porche! You get what you pay for. My sons have gone thru 2 or 3 PC laptops while I still have my Macbook Pro. I haven't done anything to this laptop for three years but let it run and run it does! My youngest son stated to me the other that he wants my laptop when I upgrade!
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Arthur said 5:44PM on 7-17-2009
umm I think your son downloads to many bittorrent files (porn, games, music) that may have cause your 2 pc's to crash. I've used same PC for 6 years now running Windows XP had no crashes.
I also own a MacBook Pro and I had a glitch in mine. A hardware problem something to do with the RAM chip. Glad it was under warranty or else I would have paid $400. Other than that it also runs pretty smooth.
shgarland said 11:28PM on 5-13-2009
I don't own a laptop, but I'd go Apple if I bought one. Don't think I'd go with a big screen like the girl in this promo did, but I rather pay extra for something I know from experience I can rely on than something that's developed a rep for not being so reliable.
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mont said 6:23PM on 5-13-2009
well everyone is not like you , and can afford a porche!!
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AC said 7:17PM on 5-13-2009
I'm a computer technician. I currently own 2 PC desktop a and 1 Laptop and they have been running fine for the past 3+ years w/o any problems. Mac commercials are deceiving. There have been confirmed reports that Macs are also being hit with viruses and attacked by hackers. No one is safe, no matter which brand you get.
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Mikee said 6:40PM on 5-14-2009
Yep, AC, it has been confirmed that a Mac virus has infected 2,000 Mac's worldwide. Contrast that to the 2,000 viruses that are introduced to PC's every year and your point is a whole lot more valid.
Mac's will never be as big of a target for malicious programs until Macs have a similar marketshare to PC's.
cugamer said 12:04AM on 5-14-2009
Interesting. Apple is on the defensive with these ads, that doesn't speak well for their current position. It says to me they've lost the initiative, and are now reacting to Microsoft's moves.
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Stephen Keyser said 1:57AM on 5-14-2009
As I look upon my desk top..I have two computers, MAC and Sony Vaio. Both purchased about three years ago, month or so apart. I have spent more money on pay for service items on the PC ... nary one dime...not one on the MAC. Take about 5-600$ off the MAC cost on that alone. The tugboat speed Office is gone for good, replaced for free by OpenOffice. It's a tool..just a simple tool. MS thinks everyone wants to be be challenged and expensed to death by their ops and apps. Never fails...PC's get retired cause people are tired to having to tinker, and tinker with a slowwwing running machine.
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Arthur said 5:55PM on 7-17-2009
That's why there is a saying that: people who know how to handle a computer gets a PC and people who ONLY know who to surf the web and check emails buy Macs. (I am not saying you have to be an expert but just can't stand people just downloading crap off a website and their computer crashes and blame on the software)
Apple Inc. is a genius though got to admit. They were successful selling the same item for a higher price. And their target market: ignorant computer users.
Spent $600 or more for PC repair? you could have just googled the problem and fix it within 5 min but you spent $600.
civicsi_22657 said 8:44AM on 5-14-2009
macs are the most confusing computers to operate and not all programs run on them !
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bballpguardmike said 7:10PM on 5-18-2009
I own two PCs (both custom-built machines) with WinXP, and a MacBook with the latest version of the Mac OS. I'd been a PC user exclusively for fourteen years (since I was three), but when I was seventeen I got the MacBook as part of being at the audio engineering school I went to. I've since fallen in love with it, and take it everywhere I go. Everything I want to run runs on it, with the exception of my favorite digital sequencer, FL Studio (it's PC-only). Not a bad thing, as I've made my PC my main workstation and gaming computer, since it's much more powerful and has much more storage space than my MacBook. I'd really like to switch to getting a Mac Pro, though, as then I'd be able to switch back and forth between the Mac OS and Windows, just using BootCamp or something (already do this on the MacBook).
A, Microsoft failed badly with Windows Vista, at least for the power users' market. I'm looking forward to Windows 7, as I've heard it's actually a decent OS.
B, for a user like me, the Mac easily offers everything I want. Plus, I find that the Mac OS is just so well designed that it makes using the computer such a joy and so fluid.
All that to say that I prefer the Mac OS, especially in my field, but I'm not going to snub the PC world...unless, of course, said PC came with Windows Vista.
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sfcat said 12:55PM on 7-18-2009
I work professionally in computers, have been for 20 years. I've used them all. Bought a mac laptop 2.4 years ago and I love it. I have Parallels on it when I need to run XP (verrry rarely) and haven't had a problem using it at any client's yet!
NO viruses or spyware EVER, that would be worth the price alone, but it is always up, no crashes, and much faster than the PCs I work on.
And I paid 800$ for it new, just searched around and found a site that sells on discount. Just like a car, you can choose to pay full price, or you can shop smart. Microcenter has them for $850 right now.
Also, if you look at PC Mag's 5 recommendations for high performance PCs, the top end mac is the best price, the Win PCs are all more expensive.
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Raven said 12:16PM on 7-20-2009
Yeah I own 2 PC's I have never had a problem with either of them. My Laptop runs fine, and my Desktop runs fine as well considering that it is very old. I have only replace my desktop once because the first one was many years old and not compatible anymore with software and other services. My newer desktop is about 7 years old and works fine. All of my friends who are Mac users?? complain all the time. "my screen doesn't work right" "i can't get MSN to work" "not all of my programs from my PC are working for this Mac!" Mac isn't all that : \
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Louis Grady said 12:45PM on 7-20-2009
When friends want to buy a computer, I tell them to get a Mac. I have always used PC's because the businesses I worked with used PC's. but when a person gets a Mac they never have to call me. I have a Dell laptop with Vista thant crashed 38 times between Wed and Saturday a week ago. I bought my first PC when IBM came out with its first PC, either in 80 or 81, but I wish that all of the time I had to figure out the various Dos and Windows programs and ills (and I have used EVERY ONE, was used in actually doing work and solving problems. I now own 18 computers, including ones I put together myself, but I am retired and play with them as a hobby, but I still think that the MAC was the best windows system ever stolen from Xerox's PARC.
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debbie said 1:56PM on 7-20-2009
I bought a 17 inch Mac Pro...all the bells and whistles... I did not like it. Number one, I am 53, and have used windows all of this time. The new icons, terms, raised keyboard, and the screen having to pinch and push stuff, was just too much for me to learn.... Lots of difference between the two. I chose another Dell, and love it. I have never had a computer to crash, and I've owned maybe six or seven... I have had viruses, but my computer shop friends can usually clean it up for me for 40 bucks or so. i always keep a updated virus protector on my computer. So for me, the extra money was not so much the issue, as I just did not like it. I did get my dell 17 inch loaded, super loaded, for about 2300.00 and the Apple was like 3200 including tax...
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Jon Kauffman said 1:56PM on 7-20-2009
I've been a computer technician for some time, I've got all the degrees who cares though.
Apples commericials lies and the sad thing is people try to use the commericials in arguments with me. The number one thing people who own Apples say well they are better because they don't get virus's or crash. WRONG!
I've owned 2 Apple Laptops they froze all the time and had more virus issues than any of my Dell's.
If the Apples were not able to be hacked and didn't get virus's or crash, our government and military agencies would be using them.
Trust me they don't....
Other issues with Mac include. Not being able to send and recieve some e-mails(happens more than on PC's), also not alot of software works on Apples that works on a PC, then you have the price, then you have the how much they charge for maintence.
If they didn't crash or get virus's they wouldn't need as many Maintaince repair places as they have, that should be a sign to anyone.
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Jamess3000 said 5:41AM on 8-24-2009
There is no way, you had more viruses or virus issues on any Mac compared to any Dell running Windows considering the high no# of viruses that are available for Windows vs what 2 for the Mac - Windows Machines can't surf web without getting viruses of all kinds - on a Mac due to - permissions - that can't happen.....thanks to UNIX which is the core of Mac OS X as of 2001....the ONLY way to get a virus on a Mac... the user has to install it...
with a combination of permissions and the built in firewall, hacking a Mac that is running Mac OS X is very slim....