Once a year, the quiet rigidity of Apple's pricing gives way — not by Apple's own hand, but through the competitive urgency of the retailers who carry its products. This Black Friday, major stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo are offering rare and record-low discounts on some of Apple's most coveted devices, from freshly launched MacBook Pros to the widely praised AirPods Pro 2. For those who have been patient, the window that rarely opens is open now — and as with all fleeting opportunities, it will not remain so for long.
Record-Low Black Friday Apple Deals Hit Amazon, B&H Photo as AirPods Pro Drop to $154
Apple's products almost never see meaningful price reductions outside of major shopping events
Mark
Why does Apple itself never run Black Friday sales?
Mimi
Because it doesn't have to. The brand is strong enough that people will pay full price. Discounting directly would cheapen the product and train customers to wait for sales. Instead, Apple lets third-party retailers do the heavy lifting.
Mark
So these deals at Amazon and B&H Photo—are they coming out of Apple's pocket or the retailer's?
Mimi
The retailer's. They're buying Apple products at wholesale and choosing to sell them at a loss or thin margin to drive traffic. It's a volume play for them, not a gift from Cupertino.
Mark
The AirPods Pro at $154—is that actually a good deal, or just marketing?
Mimi
It's real. These are legitimately excellent earbuds. The noise cancellation is best-in-class, the sound is clean, and they work seamlessly with iPhones. At full price they're $249, so $95 off is substantial. You're not getting a compromised product.
Mark
Why are new products like the M4 MacBook already discounted?
Mimi
B&H Photo and other retailers are trying to clear inventory fast and compete for holiday shoppers. Even new products get marked down during Black Friday because the volume of sales matters more than the margin on each unit.
Mark
Should someone wait even longer, or is this the moment to buy?
Mimi
This is the moment. Black Friday inventory moves quickly, and prices tend to stabilize or creep back up after the weekend. If you've been considering it, waiting another month usually means paying more, not less.
El Pulso
- Apple's prices are famously immovable, making this convergence of third-party retailer discounts a genuinely rare event for consumers who've been waiting to upgrade.
- The AirPods Pro 2 have hit an all-time low of $154 — a $95 drop — creating a sharp sense of urgency for anyone who has hesitated at the usual price point.
- Even Apple's newest hardware, the M4 MacBook Pro launched just weeks ago, is already seeing a $200 discount at B&H Photo, an almost unheard-of markdown on such fresh inventory.
- AirTag four-packs have dropped to $73 on Amazon, cutting the per-unit cost by roughly 40 percent and making the practical case for item-tracking nearly impossible to ignore.
- Inventory at these prices moves quickly, and CNET's deal team is actively monitoring shifts throughout the weekend, signaling that the landscape could change by the hour.
Once a year, the quiet rigidity of Apple's pricing gives way — not by Apple's own hand, but through the competitive urgency of the retailers who carry its products. This Black Friday, major stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo are offering rare and record-low discounts on some of Apple's most coveted devices, from freshly launched MacBook Pros to the widely praised AirPods Pro 2. For those who have been patient, the window that rarely opens is open now — and as with all fleeting opportunities, it will not remain so for long.
Black Friday has arrived, and Apple's notoriously stable prices are finally moving — not through any action by Apple itself, which almost never runs direct sales, but through the competing ambitions of the retailers who stock its products. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and others have all stepped in, and the discounts are substantial enough to reward anyone who has been waiting for the right moment.
The headline offer is on the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, now available on Amazon for a record-low $154 — a $95 reduction from the standard price. These are not clearance-bin earbuds. The second-generation AirPods Pro remain among the year's best wireless audio options, with effective noise cancellation, strong sound quality, IP54 weather resistance, and up to 30 hours of battery life with the charging case included.
For those eyeing a new laptop, B&H Photo has discounted the just-released M4 MacBook Pro 14-inch — 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, 10-core processor — to $1,399, a $200 cut on hardware that only reached shelves this month. Meanwhile, a four-pack of AirTags is down to $73 on Amazon, roughly $18 per tag, cutting the usual per-unit cost by about 40 percent.
The broader significance is simple: Apple's brand strength means it rarely needs to discount, which makes these few weeks in late November the most meaningful window of the year for prospective buyers. The deals are live, the competition among retailers is real, and the inventory will not last. For anyone seriously considering an Apple purchase, the time to act is now.
Black Friday has arrived, and for the first time in months, Apple's notoriously sticky prices are actually moving. The company itself won't budge—Apple almost never runs its own sales, preferring instead to offer gift cards or subscriptions as sweeteners. But the retailers who stock its products are another story entirely. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and smaller players like Newegg have all opened their vaults, and the discounts are substantial enough to make this weekend worth paying attention to if you've been waiting for an excuse to upgrade.
The deals span the full range of Apple's lineup. The M4 MacBook Pro, which only arrived on shelves this month, is already discounted at B&H Photo. The entry-level 14-inch model with 512GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and a 10-core processor is selling for $1,399—a $200 cut from the regular price. That's the kind of markdown you rarely see on Apple's newest hardware, let alone within weeks of launch.
But the most eye-catching offer is on the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C. Amazon has dropped them to $154, which represents a new record low and a $95 discount from their standard price. These aren't budget earbuds being cleared out. The second-generation AirPods Pro remain one of the year's best choices for wireless audio, with noise cancellation that actually works, sound quality that justifies the price tag, and voice-calling performance that doesn't make you sound like you're speaking from inside a tin can. They're rated IP54 for weather resistance and deliver up to 30 hours of battery life when you factor in the charging case. At $154, they're genuinely hard to pass up.
Apple's AirTags are also hitting record lows. A four-pack is available on Amazon for $73, which works out to $18 per tag—a $26 savings from the usual price. Individually, AirTags sell for $29 each, so this deal effectively cuts the per-unit cost by roughly 40 percent. They're simple devices: slip one into your keys, your bag, your wallet, and use your phone to track them down. They have a built-in speaker that chirps when you're close, which is more useful than it sounds when you're frantically searching for your keys at 7 a.m.
The broader pattern here is worth noting. Apple's products almost never see meaningful price reductions outside of major shopping events like Black Friday and the occasional holiday promotion. The company's brand power and product loyalty mean it doesn't need to discount aggressively to move inventory. That's why these few weeks in November and December matter so much to anyone considering an Apple purchase. If you've been thinking about upgrading your MacBook, your earbuds, or your accessories, the window is open right now—and it won't stay open long. The usual retailers are stocked and actively competing for your attention. CNET's deal team is monitoring prices throughout the weekend, so if you're serious about saving, it's worth checking back as new offers emerge and existing ones shift.
Citas Notables
Apple almost never directly discounts its own products, making third-party retailer Black Friday sales the primary opportunity for savings on premium tech— CNET reporting
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