Episode 911: Black Friday and holiday shopping tips
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Just the season to go shopping on this episode, the micro o podcast, we've got tips and tricks to get the most out of the holiday shopping season, find out how to make the most of your purchases coming up next.

Walk up to the mico podcast. I roll the loyal life .

here with current hasn't .

and David Price.

I .

like friday. The kick off the holiday shopping season is fast approaching. Maybe you're even listening to this podcast as you wait line at the shakeout counter. In any case, this is a good time to talk about some shopping tips and tricks to help you get the most for your money and maybe even save you from headaches as you make that list and check IT wise, it's all about shopping in this show.

So what do we first start with talking about apple black friday? The details since this matic world, apple's black friday on black friday deals are to are interested people. So were according this at a time where apple hasn't amounts their deals yet. So should we expect them to be something worth waiting for?

I'm usually apple, rather than discounting products which rarely IT, will offer vouchers, gift cards with certain purchases, not everything or everything you buy. A map comes the biggest cards, but certain products will not usually the news.

So we don't know at the moment if the macbook Prices, if you buy the macbook pro, one of the new ones who you get a gift card, probably more likely if you buy back air, you might a gift card because that's been on the market for a bit longer. And and in the past, we seen maybe access or two hundred dollars a couple of years, got two hundred fifty dollars IT. Kind of depends how you look at IT.

Would you rather have that money off the Price? Or would you rather have that money to spend on something? Apple, you can certainly p and and find there was that not more money off when you buy from apple. You can in the latest models, IT could be deal.

think about the gift card sound. It's an apple gift card, correct? You get maybe like a what a hundred dollar gift card. Football, say? Pad, maybe but not that much, maybe like fifty dollars because .

it's tonight body .

towards that purchase. Yeah so you have to spit to get IT apple.

yes, so get about that was enough to pay for a pair for airports, for example, if you d have to be bit making a bit purchase or more than one purchase um and if you were by airport, do you probably get vatches with them as well but IT might be for twenty five dollars, maybe even less than that which may be a by nobody is I change anymore because they were all on apple music but I guess you can use you got to pie fuel subsidies every month for whatever IT see a nice money often Frankly we're all spending money over up every month, Frankly so maybe it's not about to get say yeah um the the the queen is is money you get money but is to send up and what you can buy with that is up to you is yes sure it's not get money off put up but at the same time is also good from apple way you know you are getting the latest model and a lot can be a lot of deals around amazon and all of the retailers there are be selling of the older models.

And I think this year can be really key to keep in mind that the older models, even less than a year old, potentially have A G bites of me, sixteen cake bites of ramage. I was now selling with the ipad at the ipad mini when that came out in october. Double the storage.

So you're looking at a deal on like the original I had, then it's got sixty four storage. So you know you might think how that could deal, but actually you can spend fifty, fifty dollars more and get a you are Better machine with more solid. You've got a kind of wee up everything. That's not, I think, more than ever. They should yeah.

but that's a good point. So if you want to get a discount on the Price and save money that way, a way to go probably is to go through a third party retailer. But you have to make sure that you're getting comfortable stacks and things like that, especially if you're deciding to buy not necessarily a newer not necessarily a product of the current product of the current lineup. I don't like, say older models because, yes, IT is older in terms of what's available now if if IT has not been open yet, um you know has been used.

And Frankly, over of that friday, most of what you'll see the big deals on will be current stop that they trying to get rid of apple just pots, new max and is like the m freeze and so on. And that might look really like a really good offer. But when you consider that m free, my pro only RAM and the new ones got sixteen.

And actually, you know with a discount may not cost that much more, but you just go away up really. And what if you can afford to spend a bit more? Because if you do, you will probably get a Better deal in terms of might be the savings not as big, but the machine you'll get will be a lot Better.

对， the airports were good example of that because the airport free were like a hundred, six hundred seventy, depending whether you have my safe where the new airports four start a hundred twenty nine, which is what the airport two were. Will you look at a on for like for hundred twenty nine dollars, and maybe there nineteen dollars you could spend for eight dollars more than get two generations. Much Better won't have the I N C. But my is just like when you talk about small savings, it's definitely worth paying a little bit more to get. This is models outside.

This is across all the retail through the black friday season. We said as as Karen's says, they are trying to get relevant stock and they're trying to make out the deals Better than they are and they will do anything they can to sort a tRicky into following that logic of saying, well, look at its seventy dollars off whatever two hundred but you have to do that homework each time.

Um you have to do the comparison with the model or getting versus the one you would have been getting. But it's not such a big living and the difference in the ramon, I don't if you mention apple intelligence y year, that a big thing this year that much of the models support up intelligence or will support up intelligence when IT comes various territories. Where's the one before wants? Is that an issue for you personally? I think a lot of people might think they don't want to pay extra rapper intelligence that are bothered by A I particularly, but you just have trouble that information at your thing in the I would .

just think you you know with the intelligence, the features right now may not be that all that that exciting as a lot of flight talking about the features right now. But really, what do I mean to the average person, but down the line, except me a lot more, you know. So you if you're making a decision between an iphone fifteen and iphone sixteen, maybe you do need to sort of future proof yourself a bit, maybe look for an iphone and fifteen pro instead because .

at least is a David is their way to know if a hardware device from apple supports apple intelligence besides apple using its marketing, the state, this is the supports apple intelligence and mostly .

stuff that come out this year. You you can check on apple's website, de course, but mostly it's the generations that came out this year, our apple intelligence porting. And I think as Karen said, the fifteen pro came out last year and and and supported this had a retrospect clive's, but mostly will be I will be the stuff that came out this year. Support up of intelligence.

Apple has said with the max, I am serious. Max support apple intelligence. So that's the one and two and three and four. They also support up intelligence. The key is though that all.

I don't think apple officially said this, but I was kind of implied when they upgraded all the realm of devices that um apple intel gent requires a ticket bites of RAM, regardless of what kind of device IT is. So if you have an ipad, IT has to have a kick by. So to run up intelligence, the trick is though with ipads and iphones, apple doesn't tell you how much RAM is in IT in terms of what expect to look for.

It's basically you have to look for a seventeen pro processor or newer. So state seventeen, eight, eighteen because those team were with a quick bites of realm. Um but you have to figure out which phones and ipad came with those processors. So it's a little bit of work for to use to find out. But that kind of a case as if you're shopping and you're seeing this really good deal, an iphone, but it's like, say, an iphone fourteen, which might be grateful whoever you're buying IT for there not to be able use apple intelligence on and whether that's important to or not, I guess that's a decision you going to have to make.

We generally say they are getting previous generation is a good is a good way to get um a Better deal because they are the ones that people are trying .

to get riddle literally any other year we'd be saying get them you know. And to be honest, we won't pointed. It's just that feeling that this year, there's a little bit more at stake that we Normally have to consider because of the rm difference in the storage thing and where where we supports up intelligencies. Just it's just a little bit different. You know, I think this still will be really good deals. We just hope that because of how much will improve things, that the deal would be Better than never because if they really do want to sell this old kids, often they have to make IT in the worth your while or well, even if you do see good details on the newman models, then get them, you know, because that they will they will be wear.

I know, to nine percent time you want to go to a different retail of them. I mean, but that's probably true if you're looking for the best Price. That's that's true all around.

You don't buy from that if you want the best Price, but that's particular to your black, right? I was trying to think of any any situation in which in which getting the gift art is the right decision. I want IT.

Maybe if you buying an apple watch in the U. K. IT might work out because I was looking last year at the best deal we could get on any kind of up today.

Apple watch was about thirty pounds off in the U. K. There were much Better deals in in america.

We were looking at about thirty pounds off, and the gift card apple was given away was worth forty pounds. So I kind of worked out last year. But even then, you'd have to buy something else.

And unless unless, as you say, caring, you do something clever like paying for a subscription or something. So you only use the forty pounds. You're probably going to end up spending hundred twenty pounds on some airport anyway. That doesn't really work. I help nineteen, nine percent time you you got to amazonia something like that and get a Better deal.

Think before black friday, you should do your research, find out about the product if you want to buy you a macbook air, find out what is where, find out what it's what's on, get collection deals in your shopping basket on amazon, other locations as well because I might come on the day that the amazon's not the best still or and the other one to watch out for, have a look, say how much that product gets discounted throughout the year.

You can look on come and you can put in the your right. I think of the product you looking at will show you what that what that's been so for so you can see if actually it's pretty always that Price I don't need to rush. And by IT on black friday because is black friday, can wait and see if you can stand any more sort of things.

So now do you research on the product you want to buy before you buy? And also like obviously, you know come to our website and say because we are picking the best deals we will be looking for, all the details will be assessing them ourselves. So we will do not this way for you.

And if you are looking for, you know particular put out, then take a look at our our round up on the website. I think we're going to have news less as well. Things like that help support these deals.

You're shopping IT on amazon. You're going to see you're going to find like like say you're trying to buy A A charger or adapter or even at some cables, you're gonna find a guzzle, an manufacturer of these cables. You know these companies with three balls in a row in their names and stuff like that disagreement, oddly nights named companies, you guys every, uh, tips as our customers can figure out, you know which are the .

more reliable colleagues. At least we know that you know that I tend to sort think if i've heard of that brand that something um if if you do a search for that brand and see a rip for sites of reviewed IT because I don't like looking at the reviews on amazon and everything because I have like literally don't trust them. You say you say product and it's got five thousand people are, but yeah, so you got a you got a be careful because a lot of the stuff your finds, especially on azz um is gonna be companies though the best put get .

the budget companies that are familiar. The thing about amazon is is like you you'll find that especially with cables, the one big red flag is the name of the company. Looks strange like a like IT was just a bunch of letters that someone randomly ly typed on a keyboard. That's a company that I would have for IT. Not that I don't even know it's a bad company or not is just that i've never heard of that company. What I what are things I do is I think I do a google search on the name of that company uh and if if they do have a website, sometimes they don't what if they do have a website to try and see if the website little little yes, if IT looks like it's well put together .

to check yeah because .

I little hesitant to name the name becomes, you know there are just so many companies out there you know haven't done the research to check after what you comment or not.

We've got we've got round up. So things like I I find cables, charges and make safe and all of these things on the website say, I think I feel more than even I find cases. I feel more about playing something that we look because you have got you know, that is not just some company that just got a few piece plastic. So so.

so we've been talking a lot about shopping online. Uh, do you guys do any yeah and store shopping for any of these kind of items anymore?

Um when we have been .

looking for fridge freezer earlier this year, I think IT was what we would do is we go into the and look at them and because you you can't you can't buy a fridge freezer online and you could you can see happy IT. You can get feel free. So we go into the shop to see that.

But we'd buy IT online because the best deals are online, aren't they? But we have like stores in U. K. Like example, join is who have this thing where there what they say never knowingly on the sold or something, which in in other words, means that they will match the Price if you find a cheap or somewhere else that supposed to, and I think they will need back.

I can't remember you can to buy and go to the .

stories work. I wouldn't 啊。 If you get, you have to really be committed to in doing your research on the fly and not being pushed into making about decision I would, if always recommending to somebody else, I would always say, do IT at home, do IT online, do your research, plan what you're going to buy before you even look at the deals in their weak in advance.

Check what the Prices out of that thing in an a variety sources. So you've got a baseline know what a sensible crisis. And then on the day you say, oh, well, I was there and I was expected in there or or whatever, if you go into the into the store, you're much more susceptible being buffalo into into spending moment of you you intended or buying something you were going to buy.

It's much harder to do the research because you're you're in you know, you're in john lose, you got your phone. You trying to look at all the different reviews or the the Price is trying to find out what the Price was two weeks ago is much more difficult. I think, as Karen says, then you may get access to deals you wouldn't have found online or then you know, you may have access to a human salesmen who is so subject to handling and things that there are.

There are advantages, but it's a lot hard that I would say. And also, I don't really like going out the house. So I mean, a particularly on black brother, I know really what you know, all those crowds and people fighting is up up for the multiple reasons I I will entirely do alone. But as currencies, there are there are a few extra benefits.

If you go into some people do like to go in starkest you there, some people like the pool shop. So and you know there's nothing wrong with that. If you do have items and mind maturity, think you can buy, uh, you know the Better deals all bly online up. We've been talking about black fighting particular fictional. But the funny thing is I think even more so now than uh, in years has a lot of places already started their black friday deals where record as we before, and i've been getting a bunch of emails like black friday deals already already, and we're not even a week away from black friday itself. It's not too early to go out online and poke around and would see what's what's out there.

The deal the deal still start in november. There were Prices getting down early november, and it's happening now. And yeah and they will continue after adopted outside monday, of course.

Speaking of cyber monday, is there really a difference between black friday and cyber monday?

And because I used to be the summer, monday was slight, so friday was people in the shops and ybor day was people online on noa ys. As we've just establish people shop in shops and shop online. So everything online, some of the suber monday still has a bit more focused on may be but um I think that everyone every shop is trying to sell for us and they are trying to do IT, even if is at a discount because I need just to spend .

money ah is any particular like one product that you guys have an eye focus shopping season I .

was thinking about for my daughter? She's really he loves her. She's got pencil and I know that but usually get discounted. But I said there was a certain things you would only ever buy in the sales. I have to say like even if I was looking for a mac or an a watch or an iphone or an ipad, I would literally only buy IT when I knew the money .

was and be less with something you .

I might get a new monitor to one of our colleagues earlier today, uh, that he needs. He wanted a second undergrad monitor for her macbook. And that mediate immediately reminded me that my my monitor that attached the macbook prone on recording this home is is very temperamental.

IT was IT will hang me down. So I what this is a sort of thing, not in our products um therefore, you can get good deals on IT. I'll keep my eyes open. I'll say he's been difficult that could I don't know a lot about about monitor brands and which one is best for this situation.

So i'm gona have to go sets with.

It's an excEllent idea on my will come.

I think we may even have their deals on monitors because monitors and storage are always big sellers. We find that. So you know, people that is like you would I want to spend thousands of pants, but that if they need storage, then they buy storage around friday when they know they're getting fifty quid of fifty dollars off, you know, pick up of things.

Apple in october upgraded the m three macbook air to sixteen a bites over without changing the Price. Now as far as I know, apple to 的 a gigi and three macbook care of the market， yes, but i'm not sure about that. So if you're buying from a third party retailer er an m three macbook air, make sure IT has sixteen jacket bites of RAM, not the eight cake bites of around the day cake bites around. That's the older model .

guarantee the best deal, what look look like really good deals, but they will be on the older yeah yeah, you just and it's fine because I get what might be fine for you. IT might be all you need, but just don't pay more than you should. Just the point really.

Yeah yes. Any other advice to uh, for shoppers out there as .

we wrap this up to buy things you don't .

need as as ever in in the U K, we get deals on phones because you can buy them unlocked. And so you see a hundred you often like you will get hundred or more pans of if the prior we be brilliant, you find something like that in the U. S. They don't really show hand that way. But you tell me you more likely to be looking at contract deals. And with contract deals, I think there's a risk that you get sucked into deal where is like I am a two hundred gig bites of data a month that you really don't need and you're paying you you think you're getting the deal because of these extra things that are being finding, but do you really need them, I think is also the case or question.

Ah what is another thing about if you get to a buy someone in iphone, you remember IT doesn't come with a charger. You might need to spend a little extra on a charger, might not maybe they already have one.

Ah maybe that's what you'll have to use. I um .

make sure you check the the current M S R P splash arap， because apple generally drops the on a yearly basis. But retailers may conveniently forget that and they may say, oh, you can buy the iphone fifteen pro and it's hundred and fifty gone as off because we are going to compare IT to last year's M S R P when IT actually to come down. So don't don't trust the um the Price is given on retailer websites. Make sure you check for apple charges and compare against that.

What does IT for this episode? Micro de podcast episode nine I love and next to current hasn't fix to David Price and thanks to you, the audience. Thank you for doing in well, you can subscribe to the mack podcast and podcast APP on spotify, on youtube, at the micro o podcast channel or through any other podcast APP do have any comments for questions.

Send us email at podcast and mac 点 com or contact us to x that's at mac world or on threats that's at macworld underscore H Q or on blue sky that's at macworld dash H Q or on the make facebook page。 Join us the next of the micro o podcast as we talk about the latest in the world of apple. See next time.