iFriday: Apple Will Not Be Dragged Into This Scrum

Look what brand decided to grace Black Friday with its presence? Apple.

Oh to be a brand as strong as Apple with no need to drag down your image by joining the deep-discounting Black Friday tradition. This year, Apple's in-store discount offers include knocking $101 off $1,200 Macbook Pros, $41 off the $500 64G iPod Touch and $21 off the $230 Apple TV, amongst others. Are these great deals? No.

How do tech shoppers feel about this? Predictably:

This is the most sorry excuse for a Black Friday sale I've ever seen. At first I saw this as a missed opportunity on Apple's part. But now it seems more like a glaring slap in the face to anyone who ever thought about buying an Apple product today...

Apple products are available at big box retailers for less. For example, Target offered 32G iPod Touches for $30 less than Apple's online store.

As usual, this is a shrewd branding move on Apple's part. Those who are entry level Apple users will seek out the brands at big box discount prices. Brand-loyal Apple aficionados who shop at the Apple Store? The brand already knows they are hooked. Every dealer knows, only the first hit is free.

For all Black Friday Live! posts go to the Black Friday Live! tag.