If you are hunting for deals on Macs,  however, finding info online has probably proved difficult. Besides this fake “leaked” advertisement, no real information is out there regarding Apple’s Black Friday plans. What’s a shopper to do? Give up and get a PC? NEVER! With a bit of research and a healthy dose of reasonable expectations, you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect from Apple.

Reasonable Expectations

Let’s start with the reasonable expectations. You’re not going to find a $500 MacBook. You’re probably not even going to find an $800 MacBook. Sorry. This may come as a surprise to those who have never dealt with Apple on Black Friday (or ever). So “why not?” is a reasonable question. Plenty of other retailers have heavy discounts on laptops during Black Friday, right? Why not Apple?

MacBook Pro

It would take a book to fully explain the logic of Apple’s business model, but the simple answer is this: Apple doesn’t want to be in the business of selling cheap computers, and it doesn’t really need to be either. Apple considers itself a premium computer maker, not just a computer maker, and heavy discounts can hurt that image. Plus, the company has a lock on the premium notebook market and recently posted it’s most profitable quarter ever without ever putting Macs on “sale” or offering a netbook. If you’re products were selling like hotcakes at full price, would you start putting them on sale? I didn’t think so.

Apple Retail Stores

None of this means that you can’t find some deals though – even at your nearest Apple store. Based on Apple’s previous Black Friday sales, I’d say that you can expect the following MacBook discounts at Apple’s retail stores on Friday:

• The New Unibody MacBook for $948 ($51 off)

• 13-inch 2.26Ghz MacBook Pro for $1148 ($51 off)

• 13-inch 2.53Ghz MacBook Pro for $1398 ($101 off)

• 15-inch 2.53Ghz MacBook Pro for $1598 ($101 off)

This is a very simple model that Apple has used for the past couple Black Friday events (tweaked for the current lineup), and I don’t see any reason that they will deviate from it this year. Note that I don’t expect discounts on all of the MacBook Pros – just the three least-expensive models. Of course, there will also likely be small discounts (think 10%) on the iPod Nano and iPod Touch, as well as a large variety of discounts on software, accessories and other items. But don’t be mislead – despite the mediocre discounts, Apple retail stores are bound to be buuuuuusy. If you *really* want that $100 off, show up early or plan on being there a while.

Apple Store. Get there early!

Of course, if and when Apple announces anything definite, you can be sure we will have that news here, so keep checking back. (Update: Apple has announced that there will be an one-day shopping event on Friday - as if we didn’t already know. No specifics are given regarding prices.)

Beyond the Apple Store

Some interesting deals can also be found at the other retailers that sell Apple products. Best Buy, for example, is offering a $150 gift card with the purchase of the new Unibody MacBook ($999). I know, I know – technically this is still full-price, but if you’re planning on doing additional shopping at Best Buy anyway, it could be akin to only paying $849. Not bad!

The New Unibody MacBook. $999 with $150 gift card at Best Buy.

If you’re looking for an iPod Touch, leaked ads from Target show them to be including $15 and $30 gift cards with the 8GB and 32GB iPod Touch models, respectively. Walmart is also rumored to be offering a $50 iTunes gift card with the iPod Touch. Personally, I’d rather have the cash discount that Apple’s stores will likely offer, but if you aren’t near an Apple store or don’t mind the gift cards, these are both pretty good deals.

And don’t forget the smaller Apple resellers. Experiences will vary from store to store, but I’ve seen these smaller shops offer some fairly compelling Black Friday sales on MacBook. If you’re not sure about where to find one, try Apple’s Where to Buy web page and use the Find a Reseller search. If you find a worthwhile deal in your area, feel free to share them with others in the comments!

Black Friday: Buyer’s Guide for Apple MacBooks and iPods (Updated) is a post by Jeremy from Notebooks.com.

She talked a lot about how her company’s innovations may have a big impact on the environment, but I what’s going to get people to buy these batteries. She knows what she’s talking to when it comes to notebook batteries and I sure learned a lot during the meeting at CNTRSTG.

The number one complaint of mobile computing users is battery life. Christina explains what’s not working in today’s notebook batteries and what Boston Power hopes to do about it.

Here’s an hour-long unedited video from the meeting:

Boston Power CEO On the Future of Notebook Batteries (video from CES 2009) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

You can plug a pair of headphones ino the X2u so you can hear exactly what you’re recording in real time.

The Shure X2u works on both Macs and PCs.

Here are some FAQ’s from Shure.com:

What is the X2u XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter and how does it work?

The Shure X2u is a modular accessory that connects any XLR microphone (standard electrical

connection) to a computer (Mac or PC) to create better-than-CD quality recordings. With the X2u,

beginning and advanced recording enthusiasts can simply Plug and Play” to experience Shure-quality

digital recording with zero latency monitoring.

What is zero latency monitoring?

The word latency” is another way to say delay. In this case, latency refers to the amount of time it takes

a computer to process a signal. With the X2u, latency refers to the amount of time it takes to convert the

analog signal (your voice) to the digital signal and back again (for playback). When users plug

earphones or headphones into the Shure X2u, they will hear themselves as they sing or talk, rather than

experiencing a delay or echo.

What microphones are compatible with the X2u Adapter?

While it was designed to extend the sleek, beautiful design of Shure’s iconic SM57 and SM58

microphones to portable recording devices, the X2u is compatible with any XLR microphone, including

condenser microphones thanks to the phantom power feature.

Why did Shure decide to make a USB adapter?

For more than 80 years, Shure has been dedicated to developing professional quality audio; the

company recognizes that the rise in user-generated content brings more demand for low cost, digital

recording options. Shure decided to create a microphone adapter to allow users to connect any XLR

microphone to their computer to create better-than-CD quality recordings. The X2u redefines what

musicians and podcasters can do in their own homes and on the go, just as the tape recorder redefined

what artists could produce outside the studio

Shure X2u XLR to USB, Analog to Digital is a post by Jamie from Notebooks.com.

Check them out in this 30-second video:

Learn more and buy direct from XPal

Xpal Power- Extra Power On the Go is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

He was using a pair of iPAQs, a 2710p convertible notebook and one of the few Voodoo Firefly concept notebooks.

Back at the office he uses a Voodoo Envy 133, but is cautious about showing it off too much at meetings as apparently it causes a little gadget envy amongst those HP employees relegated to run of the mill business notebooks.

The Firefly is a enourmous notebook and the only case Phil could find for it was an extra-large Timbuk2 messenger bag.

What’s in HP CTO Phil McKinney’s Gadget Bag? is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Him: “Pretty cool, huh?”

Me: “Yeah, nice cases.”

Him: “They’re normally $20, but I’ll sell you one for just $5.”

Me: “Um…no thanks.”

Him “That’s cheaper than you’ll find them anywhere else.”

It’s bad form to try and sell any product on the show floor at CES, but trying to sell to people with press badges is even worse. Going after a measly $5 is down right pathetic.

As I was walking away from the booth I almost expected him to grab my arm, follow me and say something like: “Me like you. Special Deal for you sir. Ok, ok, half price for you. Two for 400 Baht.”

If you’re going to sell like a kid in the night bazaar in Bangkok, you might as well go all out.

Worst of CES: iFrogz…Hey Buddy, I’ll Sell You an iPhone Case for Cheap is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Many states now require hands-free calling, but apparently the makes of Cell Mate never got the memo that phones have a wonderful technology called Bluetooth. Instead they decided to bring the Cell Mate to the same show where visitors are wowed by the latest consumer tech…

I’m not sure how much a booth costs at CES, but I doubt they sold enough Cell Mates to recoup whatever CEA charges.

via Gizmodo

Worst of CES: Cell Mate is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Netbooks, like the HP Mini 1000, already have small affordable SanDisk flash drives, but in a few months it will finally be kinda-sorta reasonable to choose a SSD instead of a hard drive. Manufacturers will offer the G3 SSDs as upgrade options on new notebooks or you’ll be able to buy one to upgrade your notebook yourself.

The SanDisk 120GB SSD drive will cost $249 and the 240GB version will cost $499.

SSDs have several advantages over traditional hard drives, but until now the prices have been astronomical. SanDisk’s SSD prices are still higher than traditional hard drives, but they’re going in the right direction.

To learn more about Solid State drives, you can visit SanDisk.com/SSD

Full press release from Sandisk:

SANDISK UNLEASHES WORLD’S FASTEST MLC SOLID-STATE DRIVE (SSD) FAMILY

Affordable Third-Generation SSDs Based on Multi-Level Cell (MLC) Flash Technology, Equivalent to a 40,000 rpm Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

CES 2009, South Hall, Booth # 30659, LAS VEGAS –Jan. 8, 2009 SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state drives (SSDs). Using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology, SanDisk’s G3 Series establishes new benchmarks in performance and price-performance leadership in the SSD industry.

Designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, the initial members in the SanDisk G3 family are SSD C25-G3 and SSD C18-G3 in the standard 2.5” and 1.8” form factors respectively, each available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB*, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively.

The G3 SSDs are more than five times faster than the fastest 7,200 RPM HDDs and more than twice as fast as SSDs shipping in 2008, clocking in at 40,000 vRPM1 and anticipated sequential performance of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write3. The G3 SSDs provide a Longterm Data Endurance (LDE) of 160 terabytes written (TBW) for the 240GB version, sufficient for over 100 years of typical user usage. (2,3)

SanDisk’s G3 SSD has met the demand of a 120GB SSD at less than $250 with an exceptional user experience” said Rich Heye, sr. vp and general manager, Solid State Drives (SSD) business unit, SanDisk. Three key features developed by SanDisk enable this new design: a new SSD algorithm called ExtremeFFSTM allows random write performance to potentially improve by as much as 100 times over conventional algorithms; reliable 43nm multi-level cell (MLC) all bit-line (ABL) NAND flash; and SanDisk’s new SSD controller, which ties together the NAND and the algorithm.”

With large capacities and aggressive pricing, SSDs are poised to enter mainstream corporate notebooks in 2009.” Heye explained, Given the current economic environment, corporate IT managers have also described a desire to extend the service life of existing notebooks. These notebooks are already maxed out on DRAM, and struggle to meet users’ performance expectations. These existing WinXP notebooks can be upgraded to a 60GB SSD for $149, resulting in a system that frequently outperforms a new notebook with a HDD, thereby delaying the need for large capital purchases.”

Web-Feet Research has tested the replacement of the HDDs in three year old Notebooks with SSDs and has found an improvement in boot times, application loading and general user responsiveness that, in many cases, exceeds what a new notebook with an HDD can deliver,” said Alan Niebel, Principal at Web-feet Research. In these challenging economic times, IT managers are looking for ways to reduce IT spending without adversely affecting their user base and the SanDisk G3 SSD solution extends the notebook replacement cycle an additional two years at minimal cost.”

The SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available to this market in mid 2009, in a 2.5” PATA configuration expressly for this purpose. In addition, the SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available on sandisk.com for do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts. An SSD upgrade improves the user experience like nothing else you can do to a computer.” Heye concluded.

SanDisk’s flash technology is produced at fabrication plants in Yokkaichi, Japan, where SanDisk and its partner, Toshiba Corporation, share the output. The SSD controller and firmware were designed by SanDisk expressly for the G3 SSD.

If you would like to learn more about flash and the significant role that it plays inside laptops and other consumer electronic devices, please visit SanDisk’s SSD Academy at http://www.sandisk.com/ssd. Here you can learn about solid state drives and the great promise they present to the computing market

SanDisk G3 Solid State Drives Explained (CES 2009) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Sales have shot up by more than 700 percent since he started blending iPhones, broom sticks and other objects in his uber-blenders.

In case you haven’t seen the Will it Blend series, check it out on YouTube. Here’s my favorite of the bunch:

Blendtec CEO: Most Unexpected Meeting at CES 2009 (video) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

I stopped by the NVIDIA booth at CES 2009 to play Call of Duty 4 on the Ion reference design and was impressed by the demo.

The game was set to its lowest settings, so don’t expect jaw-dropping graphics on a netbook from graphics-intensive games like Call of Duty 4. But the good news is that you’ll be able to at least fire up COD4 on the road once Ion netbooks hit the market.

NVIDIA Ion Demo: Call of Duty 4 Coming to Netbooks (CES 2009) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.