The Apple iPad is on sale for great deals- but only for a day. Image: Flickr / smaedli / CC-BY

In a move that was not unexpected, but highly anticipated, Apple has announced Black Friday deals. The iPad sale cuts $41 off the price of all iPad devices. MacBooks, iMac, and even iPods are also on sale.

iPad sale officially on

For Black Friday only, Apple has announced an iPad sale. A full $41 has been cut off the sales price of all versions of the iPad. This is between an 8 and 5 percent discount on the price of the iPad, which is one of the most wanted gifts this year. At all authorized Apple resellers and on Apple.com, the WiFi model will be selling for $458. This isn’t the best price you can get on Black Friday or Cyber Monday for the iPad, though. Discount house T.J. Maxx is selling the basic iPad for $400 in-store only. The $400 iPad sale has already led to sold-out devices at many T.J. Maxx stores, however.

Apple Black Friday deals

The deals available on Apple.com and at Apple stores for Black Friday go beyond the iPad. The 13-inch MacBook Air is available for $101 off the regular price, at the same price as the 11-inch. The MacBook Pro and iMac are also available with $101 off the sales price. The iPod Touch is $41 off the main price, and $21 off the iPod Nano. With free shipping on any purchase more than $50, the Apple store is discouting items more than is standard for the high-priced retailer of consumer goods.

Apple Black Friday still means profit

Though Black Friday is usually a sales day only in the United States and Canada, Apple is offering some deals internationally as well. The cost of an iPad, to Apple is estimated to be around $260 for the low-end model. This means that, even with the highly discounted prices, Apple is still making a hefty profit from their iPad sale. Do you plan on buying one of the devices, or are you planning on the HP Slate or a differet slate-style computer for this Black Friday shopping season?

Sources:

NY Times
PC World
TJMaxx.com

The laptop and netbook Cyber Monday deals are set to be impressive. Image: Flickr / zieak / CC-BY

Though Black Friday shopping is the athletic shopping event of the season, Cyber Monday deals come in close second. Online comparison website Pricegrabber has found that over 1/3 of shoppers expect to find the best deals online on Cyber Monday. This year’s Cyber Monday deals include laptops, netbooks, and free shipping deals.

The origin of Cyber Monday deals

Cyber Monday deals are a phenomenon that stated in November of 2005. In 2009, Cyber Monday deals accounted for over $887 million worth of holiday-shopping sales. Cyber Monday shopping originally started as a day that many workers did their holiday shopping from work. Only about thirteen percent of workers say that they are planning on shopping from work, though that number may go up on that day.

Cyber Monday laptop deals

The Cyber Monday deals that are this year’s focus are both laptop deals and netbook details. The best deals on laptops will likely get down as far as $349 or less for a 15.6 inch dual core laptop. Dell and HP are also going to be offering discounts on customized computers. Laptop deals on Cyber Monday will also likely include free shipping and discount coupons. Services such as Pricegrabber and CyberMonday.com are going to be the best place to keep track of the best Cyber Monday deals.

Keeping yourself safe for Cyber Monday deals

Cyber Monday deals are a great way to save money. However, Cyber Monday can also be a dangerous day. Identity theft can be a huge concern when shopping online. By using only websites that you trust, and ensuring that your shopping site uses https in the URL, you can be keeping your identity safe. Some credit cards offer “secure shopping” options, which you should take advantage of. Cyber Monday deals are also only “deals” if you aren’t paying the cost of identity theft – so don’t let unrealistic deals tempt you into spending money on a website that looks sketchy.

Cyber Monday online deals got your head in a bad place? Here are some useful tools to make it all a bit easier. (Photo: flickr.com)

OK, I know. Cyber Monday online deals are a bit overcooked now that it’s 1:30 p.m. on the left coast, but somebody will be tripping the Web fantastic tonight (make that a few million somebodys). Thus, I bring you news you can use, courtesy of some tips from the New York Times. Free shipping, free gift cards and those neat limited-time discounts are waiting for you, and if you don’t take advantage, your ravenous online shopping habits could put you in a position to need more payday loans than usual.

Be Careful on Cyber Monday 2009

Why? Because it’s your money, that’s why. And retailers will do all kinds of things to separate you from your hard-earned lettuce (virtual, in this case). This includes hyping up big, glitzy deals that are all flash and no substance. For instance, a retailer might mark something up right before discount time. Forty percent off something that was already marked up nearly that much isn’t much of a steal, is it?

Fight Back by Doing Comparison Shopping with Cyber Sales

The Times has some great advice here. Use old reliable sites on Cyber Monday to figure out whether you’re truly getting a good deal. Amazon.com is one that most of us know, but there are lots of other reputable price comparison services. ThisNext.com is another great one that includes lots of personal user recommendations on products. But just because Amazon lists an item at one price doesn’t mean that’s the standard. Go strolling with Google for the straight story when all else fails.

Great Alternatives for Cyber Monday Online Deals

If it’s good enough for Gizmodo and Lifehacker, it likely will be good enough for you. If not, turn in your Cyber Monday card and report to the mall – Santa is in need of a new chair. Since I love those blogs, I have to point out that they sing the praises of LogicBuy. Over there, you can see price comparisons at a glance and make informed Cyber Monday shopping decisions. PriceGrabber.com, bizrate.com and Shopping.com are also great for this kind of thing, as the Times usefully suggests.

Me? I Procrastinate Now and Use Payday Loans Later

I’m not saying it’s the best plan, but this mouse can gang aft agley with the best of them. In other words, my best laid plans of mice and men aspire to Cyber Monday online deals, but I rarely take advantage because I find my toe lint more interesting. But toe lint – and Cyber Monday 2009 deals – can be quite useful, if for no other reason than to keep your payday loans intake at reasonable levels.

Related Video:

Many people now avoid the hassle of busy stores during the holiday season by shopping online.

Retail stores have long awaited, prepared for and depended on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as a huge day for sales — a day that can single-handedly put them in the black. Of course, the Internet is changing the way people do everything nowadays, including shop.

Cyber Monday marks the latest shift in shopping trends. Online retailers already are preparing for Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, and the day when online shoppers kick it into high gear and start their online holiday shopping. Retailers hoping to cash in on this trend will be offering special deals on Cyber Monday.

Black Friday still black

Though Cyber Monday is becoming an increasingly popular day for online retailers to pull in fast cash, Black Friday is a big day for online sales as well. Retailers who want to make the most out of holiday shopping season would be wise to run promotions on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

I think it is strange that online shopping gets clustered together, and I wonder why Cyber Monday is the day people pick to do their online shopping. Online retailers operate 24/7, so why wouldn’t people get their shopping done Saturday or Sunday?

Holidays keep businesses alive

Black Friday has long been the make-it-or-break-it day for many retailers. It’s called Black Friday because it’s the day that many retailers end up “in the black” for the year.

That is, retailers begin to make a profit on Black Friday after operating at a loss for most of the year. Basically, end-of-the-year holidays are the sole reason many stores stay business.

Find Cyber Monday deals

Besides being a big moneymaker for online retailers, Cyber Monday is also a web site. You can check out all kinds of deals offered on Cyber Monday and find a plethora of online retailers at CyberMonday.com.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnal_hedge/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. But do you know what the next best thing that comes after Thanksgiving is? That’s right, it’s Black Friday! It’s the biggest shopping day of the year!

Black Friday is the day to go out and buy the things you have always wanted but couldn’t because those discount tags never showed up as you planned. I mean, people are even willing to take out a cash advance to fund this nationwide shopping event. However, it seems this yearly shopping ritual is only getting better with time. Ever heard of Cyber Monday? Well, I just did and, as a shopper and an online marketer, I’m pretty stoked.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday was invented by the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. According to Wikipedia, the term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, which unofficially marks the beginning of the Christmas online shopping season. So what this basically means is if you miss the Black Friday shopping hustle, you still have a chance to make it up on Monday. Cyber Monday is the Monday you will actually enjoy.

Great tip for Online Merchants

A recent Yahoo! Insights team research revealed that the number of sales during last year’s Black Friday were actually not too far from the overall sales that took place the Monday following. Click-through rates were down 27% on both days compared to the rest of the month. However, online traffic and conversions went up significantly. Black Friday showed an increase in conversions by 147%, while Cyber Monday had a 73% increase in conversions.

What does this mean for me?

This study lays out a great opportunity for online marketers. You have about 1½ months before the biggest shopping days of the year. I suggest you start promoting and investing throughout the month to create attraction. Get a head-start and take advantage of the holiday traffic now. You will witness flourishing conversions not just for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but for the rest of the holiday season.

For all you holiday shoppers on the other hand, start saving now! You are already aware of how busy and expensive holiday shopping can be. You have enough time to save a sufficient amount of money for your holiday expenses, which will prevent the need of a cash advance at the last minute.