Apple's Shopping Event Underway: Up to $150 Gift Card With Select Products

[Populus]

The iPad Air is the only product out of stock in physical stores in my area. 3 of the 4 Apple stores on a hundred mile radius have all models of the M1 MBA in stock, as do all the Best Buy’s. Have you tried other retailers besides Apple?

Well maybe there on the USA they have bigger stocks, and more places to buy from. Here in Spain (Europe), third party retailers such as Fnac and Media Markt still don’t have the M1 macs on store and you have to purchase them online and wait until they have them available. I mean, yeah, theoretically I could purchase them through other retailers but they are struggling more than Apple Retail, and those retailers don’t accept student discount. Also, if you purchase on an Apple Store, the second year of Warranty is on Apple Genius Bar as well. If you get the laptop on a third party retailer, the warranty is on them, and I only trust Amazon technical service outside Apple’s own Genius Bar (basically because Amazon swaps your unit for a new one, in most cases)

So... yeah, I will wait until Apple replenishes their stock. If I was living on the USA I surely would buy on any of those retailers you mention because, specially on Black Friday, you guys have awesome discounts!! Black Friday in Spain is a bit of a joke, with minimum discounts on old technology to free up stock.

 

[Tenhauser]

Can anyone explain how this gift card works?

If i buy Homepod, i get a 100$ gift card which i can use to subtract from, say, iPhone 12 purchase?

Can i return Homepod and get full refund AND still have the gift card?

 

[Populus]

Can anyone explain how this gift card works?

If i buy Homepod, i get a 100$ gift card which i can use to subtract from, say, iPhone 12 purchase?

Can i return Homepod and get full refund AND still have the gift card?

Nope. When you return the device you have two options: Return the device and the gift card, then you get the full refund, or return just the item without returning the gift card, and you will get a refund of the item you purchased minus the gift card value. So, in your case, if you return the HomePod, you will be refunded the Homepod money (300$) - 100$ gift card= just 200$

I participated in this promo on previous years so I know how it works, at least here in Europe.
Also it is not compatible with the student discount.

 

[Tenhauser]

Nope. When you return the device you have two options: Return the device and the gift card, then you get the full refund, or return just the item without returning the gift card, and you will get a refund of the item you purchased minus the gift card value. So, in your case, if you return the HomePod, you will be refunded the Homepod money (300$) - 100$ gift card= just 200$

I participated in this promo on previous years so I know how it works, at least here in Europe.
Also it is not compatible with the student discount.

Can i use the 100 gift card from Homepod to subtract from iPhone 12?

 

[Populus]

Can i use the 100 gift card from Homepod to subtract from iPhone 12?

Of course, you can use the 100$ gift card to pay 100$ less on your iPhone 12 purchase.
If you return the Homepod, you will get 100$ less from your refund. That way that’d be the same as you purchased a 100$ gift card with your money.

 

[jarman92]

Did Apple even look at Walmart still selling their AirPods Pro for $169?

It’s not Apple’s problem that Walmart wants to take a loss on products they certainly already paid Apple for.

 

[cloneofsnake]

Well $100 off HomePod would drop it to $199! Wow, I'd take 2 for surround sound but alas I live in The Netherlands... an Apple 3rd World Country... no HomePod, no LTE Apple Watch so no Stainless or Hermes Model, no refurbished/clearance models, no real discounts like the US and BestBuy, etc (which is odd... the Dutch love saving money, yet I tend to pay way more here... and that's even with taking out the 21% VAT).

Normally I wait and buy everything back in the US, but with Covid the holiday trip back home is cancelled...

For everyone in the US Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your great dinner and amazing discounts!

Same here. Moved to Germany last year, I wish they’d have the same €199 deals for HomePod here. $199 is actually pretty regular in the US.

 

[B4U]

It’s not Apple’s problem that Walmart wants to take a loss on products they certainly already paid Apple for.

Then they can watch potential customers flock away from them as well.

 

[sw1tcher]

The M1 systems are like PS5's and Xbox's at the minute.

Apple's artificially limiting supplies of their M1 Macs to create buzz in the press and thus consumer excitement and demand?

 

[Maconplasma]

It’s not Apple’s problem that Walmart wants to take a loss on products they certainly already paid Apple for.

Uh it doesn't work that way. A company sells products to an authorized retailer doesn't mean that retailer can sell it for whatever price they want. Many corporations have a strict policy that their 3rd party retailers must sell at full retail or stay within a limit. It's not Walmart's choice to sell Apple's products for whatever price they want. Apple will pull their products out of Walmart. Apple can easily afford to do that too because Apple doesn't truly need Walmart.

 

[Maconplasma]

Well maybe there on the USA they have bigger stocks, and more places to buy from. Here in Spain (Europe), third party retailers such as Fnac and Media Markt still don’t have the M1 macs on store and you have to purchase them online and wait until they have them available. I mean, yeah, theoretically I could purchase them through other retailers but they are struggling more than Apple Retail, and those retailers don’t accept student discount. Also, if you purchase on an Apple Store, the second year of Warranty is on Apple Genius Bar as well. If you get the laptop on a third party retailer, the warranty is on them, and I only trust Amazon technical service outside Apple’s own Genius Bar (basically because Amazon swaps your unit for a new one, in most cases)

So... yeah, I will wait until Apple replenishes their stock. If I was living on the USA I surely would buy on any of those retailers you mention because, specially on Black Friday, you guys have awesome discounts!! Black Friday in Spain is a bit of a joke, with minimum discounts on old technology to free up stock.

.............

 

[icwhatudidthere]

You're entire post is extremely way off. There are no M1 MacBooks in stock in the U.S. The Apple stores are sold out and it's least a 2-3 week shipping delay.

That's not true. I can pickup an M1 MacBook Air locally today at a few local Apple stores and Best Buy is shipping for delivery on Monday.

 

[randyhudson]

Well $100 off HomePod would drop it to $199! Wow, I'd take 2 for surround sound but alas I live in The Netherlands... an Apple 3rd World Country... no HomePod, no LTE Apple Watch so no Stainless or Hermes Model, no refurbished/clearance models, no real discounts like the US and BestBuy, etc (which is odd... the Dutch love saving money, yet I tend to pay way more here... and that's even with taking out the 21% VAT).

Normally I wait and buy everything back in the US, but with Covid the holiday trip back home is cancelled...

For everyone in the US Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your great dinner and amazing discounts!

I’m sorry, but how do you get surround sound from two speakers?

 

[Maconplasma]

That's not true. I can pickup an M1 MacBook Air locally today at a few local Apple stores and Best Buy is shipping for delivery on Monday.

Don't call me a liar because what I said is 100% true. I live in the Bay Area 40 minutes from Apple's HQ and within 15 minutes of 5 Apple retail stores. None of them have even the base model for pickup and shipping is over 2 weeks. Good on you where you live but if Apple's corporate HQ can't get any to their local stores then I'm not high belief that you have easy access to get one. The discussion is about buying directly from Apple for Black Friday, not Best Buy, because you can't fully customize your specs by way of BTO/CTO.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

Don't call me a liar because what I said is 100% true. I live in the Bay Area 40 minutes from Apple's HQ and within 15 minutes of 5 Apple retail stores. None of them have even the base model for pickup and shipping is over 2 weeks. Good on you where you live but if Apple's corporate HQ can't get any to their local stores then I'm not high belief that you have easy access to get one. The discussion is about buying directly from Apple for Black Friday, not Best Buy, because you can't fully customize your specs by way of BTO/CTO.

Lol dude why so harsh? Your claim was they are out of stock in the entire US:

There are no M1 MacBooks in stock in the U.S.

The M1 MBP is available in every NYC store:

 

[Luis Ortega]

So can I buy a Mac, use the gift card there and then to offset the price or it can only be used on the second purchase? Ie I pay full price for the Mac?

And since the gift card is not enough to actually buy anything worthwhile, it’s just a gimmick to get you to spend even more money just to use the gift card.
it’s a scam.

 

[Weaselboy]

I live in the Bay Area 40 minutes from Apple's HQ and within 15 minutes of 5 Apple retail stores. None of them have even the base model for pickup and shipping is over 2 weeks.

I'm south of you and the base model is available for pickup in quite a few Apple stores here.

 

[ultradk]

Well $100 off HomePod would drop it to $199! Wow, I'd take 2 for surround sound but alas I live in The Netherlands... an Apple 3rd World Country... no HomePod, no LTE Apple Watch so no Stainless or Hermes Model, no refurbished/clearance models, no real discounts like the US and BestBuy, etc (which is odd... the Dutch love saving money, yet I tend to pay way more here... and that's even with taking out the 21% VAT).

Normally I wait and buy everything back in the US, but with Covid the holiday trip back home is cancelled...

For everyone in the US Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your great dinner and amazing discounts!

Very well said.. Just like the rest of us here in Europe..

 

[icwhatudidthere]

And since the gift card is not enough to actually buy anything worthwhile, it’s just a gimmick to get you to spend even more money just to use the gift card.
it’s a scam.

Not really anymore. Since Apple unified the store gift card and iTunes credits, you can use it for app store purchases or any of the Apple services. It's actually pretty useful now.

 

[Populus]

You're entire post is extremely way off. There are no M1 MacBooks in stock in the U.S. The Apple stores are sold out and it's least a 2-3 week shipping delay.

I don’t know mate, I was answering someone from the U.S. saying the exact oposite of you. If you both are Americans, why don’t you answer him instead of me? I’m just saying whats happening here on the other side of the Atlantic, and that’s a lack of stock.

Next time, read all the message and the context.

 

[Maconplasma]

I'm south of you and the base model is available for pickup in quite a few Apple stores here.

View attachment 1681221

South from me. Haha. That's an understatement. You're in Southern California which is over 6 hours away. I didn't say you couldn't get them anywhere in California. They are not available everywhere as that other poster suggested.

 

[Maconplasma]

I don’t know mate, I was answering someone from the U.S. saying the exact oposite of you. If you both are Americans, why don’t you answer him instead of me? I’m just saying whats happening here on the other side of the Atlantic, and that’s a lack of stock.

Next time, read all the message and the context.

No need for the aggressive tone.

 

[Maconplasma]

Lol dude why so harsh? Your claim was they are out of stock in the entire US:

Nah I didn't say that. Another poster said the U.S has them and other countries don't. I said they are not as available in the U.S as one thinks. I never said they were nowhere to be found in the entire U.S. Don't throw words in my mouth. And you called me a liar and I proved you wrong.

 

[Weaselboy]

There are no M1 MacBooks in stock in the U.S.

South from me. Haha. That's an understatement. You're in Southern California which is over 6 hours away. I didn't say you couldn't get them anywhere in California. They are not available everywhere as that other poster suggested.

Maybe I misunderstood your first post, but it seemed clear to me you were saying they were not in stock in the U.S., and it seems they are in multiple locations.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

Nah I didn't say that. Another poster said the U.S has them and other countries don't. I said they are not as available in the U.S as one thinks. I never said they were nowhere to be found in the entire U.S. Don't throw words in my mouth. And you called me a liar and I proved you wrong.

Again, here for your convenience is your quoted post, emphasis mine:

You're entire post is extremely way off. There are no M1 MacBooks in stock in the U.S. The Apple stores are sold out and it's least a 2-3 week shipping delay.

No one threw words in your mouth, you right there are the one claiming it's out of stock in the U.S. (Also, point of fact: I didn't actually call you a liar, though you may have inferred that.) Myself and at least another person then posted screenshots showing your claim to be incorrect.