Black Friday is in full swing and we want to hear about your experience- good, bad and ugly. One lucky reader will win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch. Read on for details!

The new Appel iPod Touch is one of the most wished for item this holiday season. Many call the iPod Touch the ‘iPhone without the phone,’ which is largely an accurate statement. The iPod Touch comes loaded with iOS4.2, the same software that runs the iPhone 4. The iPod Touch can run virtually all of the same apps as the iPhone and now features Facetime, allowing for free video calling to others with iOS4 devices or Macs with Facetime Beta installed.

If you’ve read this far, you probably know what the iPod Touch is and you probably want one for yourself or a loved one. The 8GB iPod Touch starts at $229, but is on sale for a few bucks less on Black Friday.  But we want you to be able to stretch out a bit and record and download a bunch of HD video. That’s why we’re offering up a 32GB iPod Touch, which retails for $299.

Here’s how to win the 32GB iPod Touch Black Friday Giveaway:

To be honest, we’d rather keep the iPod Touch for ourselves. But since we’re pretty lucky and have a ton of gadgets at our disposal, we figured we might as well get in the holiday spirit and give it to one of you.

All you have to do to win this deal is leave a comment and/or tell your friends about the giveaway on Twitter and Facebook.

Each legit entry will be assigned a number and we’ll choose one via Random.org.

Each participant has three chances to enter and will receive one entry number for each section they complete below:

1) Simply leave a comment in the comments section below and tell us about your Black Friday shopping experience.

-Did you buy any gadgets on Black Friday? Which ones and from where?

-Few people have enough cash these days to buy all the gadgets they want. What are the top three items Black Friday deals you wish you could’ve taken advantage of? Be specific and include a link to the Black Friday deal description on Notebooks.com or the retailer’s site. If you need ideas, visit our Black Friday page or hover over the green Black Friday tab at the top-left of this page.

-Did you buy online or go shopping at a retail store? Which store(s) or site(s)?

2) Tell your friends about this giveaway on Twitter. Simply click on the Twiitter logo on the upper-left hand side of this page, visit Twitter.com or use your favorite twitter app. Send out the following message and we’ll see it automatically:

“I just entered to win an iPod Touch from @notebookscom at http://notebooks.com/winipodbf to celebrate Black Friday #nbbfipod”

We’d love to have you follow us at @notebookscom on Twitter.

3) For a third entry, Like Notebooks.com on Facebook. If you already follow Notebooks.com you’ll automatically be entered to win the iPod touch.

We’ll pick a winner on Friday, Dec. 3 and notify the winner by email and/or via the method of entry, so keep an eye on your DM’s, Facebook inbox and the below comments section. You must be 18 or older to enter and we will not accept entries from where it’s prohibited by law. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.

Update: Thank you for entering. The winner has been notified via email.

Giveaway: Win an Apple iPod Touch from Notebooks.com! is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Black Friday iPod deals are finally available for purchase online at Best Buy. These deals are some of the best we have seen during Black Friday and best of all you can buy these Black Friday iPod deals online without spending all day in line.

These iPod deals are for sale at normal price, except the iPod Nano which is $10 off, but they come with a Best Buy gift card to sweeten the deal up to $50. You can score these Black Friday/ThanksGiving Day iPod deals online right now.

iPod Nano 8GB – $10 OFF – $139.95 at Best Buy plus Free Shipping: This new iPod Nano 8GB is the best deal we have seen for an online Black Friday deal. You can pick up the same size iPod Nano from Radio Shack in store with a $15 Radio Shack gift card, but the time you have to spend in store won’t be worth the extra $5. This deal is valid until November 27th.

iPod Nano Video Demo:

iPod Touch 8GB – $30 Gift Card – $229 at Best Buy plus Free Shipping: This entry level iPod Touch is the new iPod Touch 4th Gen, which provides access to all types of apps, including over 200 which are on sale during Black Friday. If you need to find an iPod Touch before Christmas, this is the deal you need to get right now.

iPod Touch 32GB – $40 Gift Card – $299 at Best Buy plus Free Shipping: For users with more storage needs, check out the 32GB iPod Touch which comes with a $40 Best Buy Gift card. Other stores are offering the iPod Touch with a $50 gift card, but you’ll have to wait in line. Again, your time is likely worth more than the extra $10 in savings. If you can afford the upgrade, jump up to this Black Friday iPod deal instead of the 32GB iPod Touch.

iPod Touch 64GB – $50 Gift Card – $399 at Best Buy plus Free Shipping: The most expensive 64GB iPod Touch is available form Best Buy with a $50 gift card online right now. This is a great deal and one of the few Black Friday iPod deals we have seen on the 64GB model which is well suited for users with huge music or video collections.

iPod Touch Video Demo:

Online Black Friday iPod Deals: $30, $40 or $50 Gift Card with iPod Touch, Nano Purchases at Best Buy is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Apple has finally listed some of its Black Friday deals over at Apple.com. The company is taking $101 off many of their Macs including the new MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air cited on the teaser page at Apple is the 13.3″ MacBook Air with 128GB of SSD storage and 2GB of RAM. This is a good deal, probably one of the best prices you will see on this new laptop on Black Friday. The MacBook Air has been reviewed both here at Notebooks.com and our sister site Gottabemobile, receiving high praise. Below is our video review:

The MacBook Air has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which may seem like a real speed bottleneck. However, the fast 128GB SSD more than makes up for it. Below is a demo of just how fast this computer boots:

The excellent display and keyboard make this a delight to type on, view video, and use for general tasks.

The MacBook Air is not perfect. The limitations of storage and lack of an optical drive will be a hindrance for some. However, the excellent battery life makes the MacBook Air the perfect travel companion.

Apple has a series of videos that include the TV ads, info about the MacBook Air and other related content.

Be sure to check out our excellent MacBook buyers guide to be sure if this is the Apple Notebook for you. If you do go with this one then we think you will enjoy your purchase or if it is a gift, the recipient will be excited about your choice.

Black Friday Deal: Apple MacBook Air $101 Off is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple has finally listed some of its Black Friday deals at Apple.com. Apple is taking $101 off many Macs for Black Friday, including the 13″ MacBook Pro.

The entry-level 13″ MacBook Pro, which has a glossy screen, 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a backlit keyboard, a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a DVD burner. The MacBook Pro has a whopping 10 hours of battery life. Unlike other laptop manufacturers, Apple’s battery life estimates are often quite accurate.

If you are having a difficult time deciding between the MacBook Pro and the entry-level 13″ MacBook Air, you should understand the trade-offs of each.  The MacBook Air is much lighter and portable. The MacBook Air has a much faster drive, but it only has a 128GB capacity, about half the capacity. Also the battery life is a little bit longer on the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air has less ports and doesn’t come with a DVD drive.

We have a full MacBook Black Friday buyers guide ready to help you make your choice. And here is a video review from MacMall:

For other Apple Black Friday deals, check out our roundup. There are deals listed from other stores as well.

Black Friday: Apple MacBook Pro $101 Off is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Earlier we wrote a brief article about why you might want to avoid buying the Apple iPad on Black Friday. In this article we’ll take a look at five reasons you should buy an iPad on Black Friday. The Apple iPad is selling faster than any other new gadget in history. If you’re thinking about buying an iPad, it may be time to pull the trigger.

Apple will be discounting the Apple iPad by about $50 starting on Black Friday.

Before you head out to buy the iPad or any other Apple product on Black Friday you should check out our Apple Black Friday resource center.

1. Apple’s iOS 4.2 Mobile Operating System

Apple just released iOS4.2, its latest version of the mobile operating system (the software that serves as the foundation for the iPad’s functionality and apps). iOS4.2 has a host of new features that brings the somewhat stale iOS3 iPad experience back on par with the iPhone’s experience. The new interface allows for folders, Airplay and over 100 other new features.

2. Great for Travelling

In the previous article, we recommended waiting for the second generation iPad if possible. But that doesn’t you much good if you’re hoping to take the iPad on a long trip to the in-law’s. The iPad’s 10 hour battery makes it one of the best devices to travel with. You can watch five or six movies on a single battery charge, which is simply incredible. Doing even half that is impossible on most laptops. It’s also compact enough to tote anywhere, but powerful enough to serve as a basic computing device for a few days. Many iPad users ditch their laptops at home for cross-country flights.

3. KIds Love It

According to a recent survey, about a third of all children are wishing for an iPad in the next few months. Whether you give the iPad to a kid or their parents for Christmas, you’ll be their favorite uncle for years to come. Even if you buy the iPad for yourself on Black Friday, you’ll be mister popular as your nieces and nephews will get to play with it when they come visit you. There are some excellent entertainment and education apps and games for kids. You can of course also rent recent movies, cartoons and TV shows.

4. Pairs Well with the Apple TV

If you have a new Apple TV, or are planning on buying one, you’ll be able to use AirPlay on the iPad to send movies, photos and music to your HDTV. You could do the same with an iPhone, but the iPad has a far superior battery life and you don’t have to shuffle between phone calls and enjoying your multimedia content. You can also just leave the iPad in the living room, while people usually bring their iPhones wherever they go. With the iPad, your family can finish a movie, even if you need to run to the store for candy and popcorn.

5. Great Resale Value

We’re pretty certain that we’ll see a new and improved Apple iPad within the next couple of months, making the first generation iPad obsolete. While the smart thing to do, at least financially, would be to just wait for the new iPad there is an alternative. You can sell it to a friend, family member or stranger on a site like eBay or Craigslist. You can also sell it to a reputable gadget buying service like Gazelle.com, which is currently offering $289 for a 16GB iPad. That means someone who bought an iPad when it originally launched would get almost 60% money back after using it for most of the year. Apple products typically have very good used resale value. This is a rarity in the world of nearly disposable gadgets, many of which are nearly worthless after less than a year.

If you’re not on a tight budget, reselling an iPad after using it for a few months is a viable option.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Apple?v=FJWfReUwMSg

Here’s an overview of the iPad from Apple

Black Friday Advice: 5 Reasons to Buy the Apple iPad on Black Friday is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

The Apple iPad is one of the most wished for technology gifts this holiday season and you’ll probably be able to get a decent deal on one. But a good deal doesn’t necessarily make the Apple a smart buy. The Apple iPad is a fantastic piece of technology and they’re selling faster than any new gadget ever has. Apple’s $499 tablet may be hard to resist, but here are a few reasons why you should hold off on buying one on Black Friday.

If your loved one wants nothing else than an iPad, go ahead and buy one. But you should be aware of the below concerns. If you are set on buying an iPad on Black Friday, visit our Apple Black Friday page to make sure you get a good deal.

1. First Generation iPad

The Apple iPad is one of our favorite products of the year, but it’s still a first generation device. Apple usually implements significant improvements in second generations of its products. Need proof? Just take a look at the difference between the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G, which was introduced a year later. Take a look at the old Apple TV versus the one that was just launched at half the price. The same goes for the sluggish first generation Apple MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air is arguably the best consumer laptop on the market and it costs half the price of the original.

2. No Front Facing Camera

Every mobile iOS4 device is now capable of making video calls to other Apple devices. That’s every mobile device except for the iPad. With Facetime, you can quickly and easily connect to friends and family. A lot of iPhone, iPod Touch and MacBook users really enjoy this experience. Since the iPad doesn’t have a front-facing camera, or a rear-facing one for that matter, which means Facetime is a no go.

3. A New iPad is Right Around the Corner

Apple will most likely announce its next iPad early next year and start selling it by March or April. It will likely be lighter, faster, thinner and run for a longer period of time on a single charge. Apple may bump the base 16GB of storage capacity up to 32GB and make other improvements.

4. The iPad is an Expensive Gift

As much as we like the iPad, the $499 to $829 price tag exceeds most people’s gift budgets. When compared to other Apple gear, these prices are really up there. A new Apple TV is just $99. The iPhone 4 is only $199 (with an AT&T contract) and the iPod Touch is just $229. If you do have a bunch of cash to spend, the new MacBook Air is arguably a better value, especially if your loved one has an old clunky laptop.

5. The Original iPad is Near its End of Life

The original iPad is nearing its end of life. At the tail end of their life cycles, gadgets can be found on sale and other signs will pop up that it’s time for them to be retired. In the case of the iPad, we’re starting to see stores discount the iPad. We’re even seeing them pop up at unauthorized retailers like TJ Maxx for $399. That’s a far cry from the iPad buying experience just a few months ago.

Black Friday Advice: 5 Reasons to NOT Buy an Apple iPad on Black Friday is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Apple’s begun its one-day Black Friday sale, but if you’re in the U.S. you’ll have to wait until midnight to get the deals. The first country to see Apple’s Black Friday deals go live is Australia, where’s it’s already Black Friday, even though Aussies don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Perhaps that’s why Apple’s calling this a “Special one-day Apple shopping event.”

So what is Apple discounting on Black Friday? Pretty much everything except the iPhone 4. There are slight deals on iPads, MacBooks, MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, iPods and accessories. Apple rarely discounts its core products, so this is one of the few chances you’ll get to buy these items directly from Apple below sticker price.

Unfortunately, the discounts on most of the MacBooks and iPods are underwhelming and in many cases it’s a better deal to buy from Amazon.com, MacMall or one of Apple’s other numerous authorized resellers. However, Apple.com is the only place where shoppers can completely customize their MacBooks and have their iPhones, iPads and iPods engraved before shipping.

Visit Notebooks.com’s Apple Black Friday Deals page to see deals from other retailers on iPods, MacBooks and iPads.

As you can see in the above image, Apple is discounting the iPad by A$ 51. That’s a savings of  8% on the 16GB WiFi iPad and just under 5% on the 64GB iPad WiFi + 3G. That’s hardly enough to motivate most people to jump up and buy an iPad, but if you’re already planning on buying an iPad on Black Friday it’s a nice bonus and enough to pay for an iPad case or enough apps to get started.

The iPod Nano is discounted by up to 25 dollars, depending on storage capacity. The iPod Touch is discounted by 35 to 51 dollars depending on capacity. Walmart, Radioshack and Best Buy are all offering free gift cards with the purchase of a full-priced iPod Touch on Black Friday.

The iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are each discounted by 121 dollars regardless of configuration. That means you’ll get a bigger discount percentage wise on the base configurations of each of these Macs.

We expect to see very similar deals here in the U.S. on Black Friday both at Apple retail stores and at Apple.com. The dollar off amounts will be adjusted for U.S. currencies and pricing. There is a chance that Apple could offer deeper discounts on select items considering Black Friday is largely a U.S. phenomenon.

There’s no word of freebies, such as free printers, software or accessories like we’re seeing at some authorized Apple resellers on Black Friday. Best Buy is charging full price for MacBooks, but offering free gift cards. MacMall is offering both discounts and freebies. Amazon.com is offering decent discounts, free shipping and the advantage of not having to pay tax up front.

Visit Notebooks.com’s Black Friday page for more Black Friday deals and guides to shopping for laptops and gadgets on Black Friday. Visit our Apple Black Friday page for more MacBook and iPod deals.

Black Friday: Apple’s Black Friday Sales Rolling Out, Discounts on iPods, MacBooks and More is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Apple hasn’t announced its Black Friday deals yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great deal from Apple.com on a MacBook Pro. We just spotted a very well configured refurbished 15″ MacBook Pro for just $1,469. This MacBook Pro’s original price was $1,999, which means you’ll save $530 or 23%.

Apple completely tests and certifies all refurbished MacBook Pros. They are indistinguishable from new stock as they’re held to even higher quality standards than new MacBook Pros. Apple spares no expense in refurbishing units that are returned for one reason or another, even if there’s no apparent wear at first glance. Because of Apple’s relatively restrictive return policy, these machines are barely used. In fact, some Apple employees have explained to us that MacBook Pros must go through the refurb certification process even if the box appears unopened when a customer returns it, just in case. Apple often replaces the entire exterior of its refurbished products before repackaging them.

Apple’s refurbished products carry a full one year warranty and are eligible for Apple Care for up to three years of protection.

At $1,469, this 15″ MacBook Pro is a viable alternative to a 13″ MacBook Pro with much less power. If you plan on editing a lot of videos, playing video games or performing processor-intensive tasks, you’ll be better suited with a more powerful processor and a larger display. It’s not as mobile as the 13″ MacBook Pro however. It’s also not the most current 15″ MacBook Pro. The latest generation of 15″ MacBook Pros come with Intel Core processors and start at $1,799.

The $1,496 MacBook Pro comes with the following specs:

15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display

4GB memory

320GB Hard Drive

8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

SD card slot

Built-in 7-hour battery

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB

Illuminated keyboard

Visit Apple.com to get this deal. Read more about Black Friday deals here.

Black Friday: 15″ MacBook Pro 2.66GHz for $1,469, ($530 Savings, Refurb) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Apple is selling every version of the iPad for $50 off in its refurbished online store. Before you shun refurbished goods, you should have a full understanding of what Apple considers refurbished. If an Apple iPad is at the top of your holiday wish list, you’ll be hard pressed to dinf a better deal than this.

The base Apple iPad comes with 16GB of memory and normally costs $499. With the $50 discount, the price is $449. On the high end of the iPad, the 64GB WiFi + 3G is $779.

Apple’s refurbished products are items that may have been returned by customers, used as demo units or otherwise returned to Apple. For example, a damaged box will earn an iPad a one-way trip to Apple’s refurbished program, even if the iPad itself is not damaged.

With Apple’s refurbished program, you aren’t getting someone else’s unwanted goods. You’re actually getting pretty much a brand new machine. In the case of a refurbished iPad, Apple replaces the entire outer shell and a new battery is installed. The only thing ‘used’ about it may be the guts of the iPad. The iPads are then thoroughly tested before being repackaged and sold at a discount. In fact, several Apple employees have told me that refurbished products have fewer problems than brand new products because of this testing program.

Some of the products from Apple’s refurbished and clearance center ship in slightly different packaging to differentiate them from brand new stock.

Regardless of whether you pay $449 or $499 for a 16GB Apple iPad you’ll get a full one year warranty. You can use the money you save to load up on discounted iPad apps.

Apple does not offer deep discounts on Black Friday or any other special occasion. Apple tries to maintain a premium postion in the marketplace and is careful not to undercut its numerous resellers. You can read more about why you won’t see any deep discounts during Apple’s Black Friday sale here.

Visit Notebooks.com’s Apple Black Friday page for more Mac and iOS4 Black Friday deals.

Black Friday iPad Deal: $50 off Any iPad from Apple (refurb) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

While most gadget makers and retailers have announced and advertised their Black Friday deals, Apple’s still keeping mum on the subject. On Apple.com, the company is still teasing its Black Friday ‘one day special shopping event, but offering few hints on as to what you’ll actually be able to buy.

We doubt that Apple will even bother to tease its deals on Thanksgiving, instead waiting untill the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday to formally announce its Black Friday deals.

Update: Apple’s beginning to roll out its Black Friday deals across the globe, starting with Australia, where it’s already Black Friday. You can see that country’s Black Friday deals here. As expected, Apple is not offering deep discounts on its core products, but something’s better than nothing. For a full list of Apple Black Friday deals, visit our Apple Black Friday resource center.

On its Black Friday teaser page Apple wrote: “You’ll find dozens of great iPad, iPod and Mac gifts for everyone on your list. Mark your calendars now. And until then, get started by browsing the Apple Online Store for great ideas.”

Notice that the above phrase lacks any mention of iPod, iPad, iPhone, MacBook or accessory deals, discounts or rebates? Apple is soft-selling Black Friday while the competition is cramming newspaper inserts and TV ads down consumers’ throats. As we noted yesterday, Apple doesn’t really need to discount its products to draw a crowd. In fact, it’s the premium pricing that draws some consumers to Apple’s products. If it’s expensive it must be good…right?

Apple’s online and retail stores may offer deep discounts on third-party Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod accessories, but we do not expect Apple to offer significant discounts on its core products. Doing so would undercut its numerous retailers, none of which are offering deep discounts on Apple’s MacBooks, iPods, iPads or iPhones. Some, such as Wal-mart and Best Buy, are offering free gift cards with the purchase of an iPod Touch. We woldn’t be entirely surprised to see Apple throwing in some store credit or iTunes gift cards with the purchase of an iOS device or a new Mac.

If you’re looking for a big fat juicy discount on a MacBook from Apple you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Apple doesn’t like highlighting obsolete, discounted or distressed inventory. The one place on Apple.com where you can find deeply discounted items are on Apple’s Refurbished Mac, Refurbished iPod, Refurbished iPad and the Clearance pages. Refurbished iPads can be had for $50 off their original prices, from $449.

Apple’s refurbished program has tight quality-control guidelines and the items are often checked more carefully than new products. Many of Apple’s refurbished products are indistinguishable from new and many suspect that Apple simply sells older versions of its hardware as refurbished to get it out of their warehouses.

For more information about Black Friday, please visit our Black Friday deals page. For more info about Apple products on Black Friday, visit ourApple Black Frida info page.

What Are Apple’s Black Friday Deals Going to Look Like? is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.