Analysts are worried that Apple's Black Friday deals offered no bargain at all. Apple's online and retail stores offered discounts of up to 101$ on Macs and 21$
for iPods, which didn’t seem on par with the price-slashing fad that swept
other manufacturers and retailers.
UBS and Kaufman Bros. analysts hoped that Apple’s Black Friday sales would be more abundant, following last year’s 15% discounts, but with a failing economy the thought of having major markdowns on productions could have seemed risky.
Kaufman’s Shaw Wu noted that accessory discounts were heavier then last year, like 40 percent on speakers, and that third-party sellers were more aggressive in price-slashing by 11 to 13 percent.
Both analysts noted that Apple can stay ahead of the game this holiday if it continues to offer price matching.
threebobs
November 30, 2008 at 10:50am
It seemed to me that the bulk of the "deals" offered in the Apple online store were merely thinly veiled attempts to unload products that had received low ratings in customer reviews. Poor reviews could lead to slow sales of these items. Thus, it looked like Apple was offering slight discounts to mainly move undesirable inventory, as opposed to most other retailers who were offering significant discounts on desirable products. Perhaps Apple can afford to thumb its nose at the world despite the dismal economy, but I would have loved to see decent discounts on top-quality Apple merchandise.
