Black Friday: a brief history of madness and discounts

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Finally! It’s the time of year once more when Americans line up outside of major retail outlets at absurdly early hours in an effort to score the lowest prices on all manner of consumer goods. Looking for a washer/dryer on the cheap?

How about a Samsung Galaxy Note 4? Or how about a new TV for Aunt Linda? She could probably use a new TV. Black Friday — and, increasingly, the days and weeks surrounding it — may be your best chance at finding a great deal. And you probably don’t have to leave the house!

Apple gives Europeans Black Friday discounts, US settles for gift cards

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If you’ve been mulling the latest Apple gizmo but wince at the prices, today could be the day to act. That’s because Cupertino’s offering UK discounts of up to £81 on the latest and greatest iMac or MacBook models and £31 off of the iPad Air.

Other iPad models are discounted too, and you can score a deal on the iPod Touch or accessories like the Parrot AR drone. As for the US and Canada, gift cards are being handed out in lieu of cash off, including $75 offerings on the iPad Air, $150 for iMacs and MacBooks and $50 for an iPod Touch. As for the rest of the EU, other countries like France and Germany are seeing similar cash discounts to their UK counterparts on the same products.

Not everything is on sale, though. For instance, the iPad Mini with Retina display is still full price. Still, if your iProduct trigger finger’s been feeling itchy lately, hit the source.

Zelda edition Nintendo 3DS XL spotted in GameStop ad with $220 price

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Americans wanting that flashy Zelda edition 3DS XL may not have to import a European model. If GottaDeal.com’s leaked copy of GameStop’s Black Friday flyer proves to be accurate, Nintendo’s gold-colored handheld should be available in the US for $220.

As overseas, stateside buyers would get both a Triforce-adorned 3DS XL and a download code for A Link Between Worlds. Nintendo hasn’t confirmed an American launch, so don’t plan your shopping trip just yet; we’ve reached out to the company for details.

Should the Zelda bundle come to the US, though, it may satisfy gamers (and gift-givers) looking for a truly stand-out system this holiday.

Sony moved 525K PlayStation 3 consoles during Black Friday week, 160K Vitas

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It’s clear that millions of gamers across the US will be spending some quality time with PlayStation during the holidays following sales results for the week of Black Friday.

PlayStation®3 (PS3®) Black Friday bundle sales increased 15%, and total PS3 sales including hardware, software and peripherals, grew 9% over the same period last year. The Ultimate PlayStation Value Bundle, which included a 250GB PS3 and the Uncharted Dual Pack and inFAMOUS Collection for $199, quickly sold out at retailers across the US. In total, more than 525,000 PS3 consoles were sold in the US during Black Friday week1.

Amazon declares ‘best ever’ Black Friday and Cyber Monday for Kindle family

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Pick up a holiday Kindle over the weekend? According to today’s Amazon announcement, the chances are pretty good that you did.

The mega-retailer sent out a note today calling Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2012 “the best ever for the Kindle family.” In fact, Monday was reportedly the biggest day ever for worldwide Kindle sales, thanks in part to a sale on the Fire. Amazon says it has “more than double[d]” last year’s numbers.

The line, which currently includes the entry-level Kindle, the Paperwhite and the Fire, among others, has also been eating up a good chunk of the site’s worldwide best seller spots. More sales info can be found in the source link below.

Amazon sees huge jump in Kindle Black Friday sales, Fire leads the way

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Holiday shoppers made Kindle Fire the bestselling product across all of Amazon.com on Black Friday.
Kindle Fire now the bestselling product across Amazon for 8 weeks running – ever since its introduction on September 28

(NASDAQ: AMZN) Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that this Black Friday was the best ever for the Kindle family and the popular Kindle Fire remained the bestselling product across all of Amazon since its introduction 8 weeks ago. The bestselling Kindle family – the $79 Kindle, $99 Kindle Touch, $149 Kindle Touch 3G and the $199 Kindle Fire – are available now at www.amazon.com/kindle and at over 16,000 retail locations throughout the United States.