The biggest shopping time of the year is here. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are filled with sales and there are plenty of good deals to be found. But how can you make sure you find the best deals? We’re here to help.
For your reference, here are the regular prices for the Mac mini and iMac.
| Model | Price | Specifications |
|---|---|---|
| Mac mini | $699 | M1 with 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
| Mac mini | $899 | M1 with 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
| Mac mini | $1,099 | 3.0GHz Intel Core i5, UHD Graphics 630, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
| 24-inch iMac | $1,299 | M1 with 8-Core CPU, 7-Core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
| 24-inch iMac | $1,499 | M1 with 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
| 24-inch iMac | $1,699 | M1 with 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
| 27-inch iMac | $1,799 | 3.1GHz Intel Core i5, 4GB Radeon Pro 5300 graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
| 27-inch iMac | $1,999 | 3.3GHz Intel Core i5, 4GB Radeon Pro 5300 graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
| 27-inch iMac | $2,299 | 3.8GHz Intel Core i7, 8GB Radeon Pro 5500 XT graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
Here’s where you can expect to find the best deal on Apple’s iMac and mac mini.
Black Friday Mac deals – our top picks
Black Friday deals from Apple
Apple doesn’t offer discounted prices for any of its products. The company does have a shopping event starting today, where it gives you Apple gift cards with certain products. In this case, you can get a $100 gift card if you buy a MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini. If you buy a 27-inch iMac, you get a $200 gift card.
If you prefer a price discount instead of a gift card and you prefer to shop at Apple, consider going to Apple’s Refurbished and Clearance store. You can save some money off the regular price, and refurbished Macs as just as good as new with no cosmetic blemishes, a full one-year warranty, and free delivery and returns.
If you are a veteran or a current member of the military, Apple has a special purchase program where you can get ten percent off all Apple products. Verification of your veteran or active military status is required using ID.me.
Black Friday 2021: Mac mini deals
Apple’s most affordable desktop Mac is often on sale. Costco is currently selling the 256GB models for $600 ($100 off). The 512GB is $149 off at Amazon as well.
Some retailers are selling Intel-based Mac minis with big markdowns. While we recommend an M1-based Mac mini for the desktop, an Intel-based Mac mini makes a great media or file server on your network. B&H is selling the 2020 Intel Mac mini for $429, a whopping $370 off the original MSRP and a downright steal for a previous-gen Mac.
$699.99
Free
$705.93
$1099.00
Free
Black Friday 2021: 24-inch iMac deals
Apple’s redesigned all-in-one was released in April but we’ve yet to see any significant discounts on it. You can usually find it for $50 off.
$1299.00
Free
B & H Photo
$1299.00
Free
$1299.99
Free
$1,499.00
Free
Adorama
Not Available
Free
Black Friday 2021: 27-inch iMac deals
We don’t recommend the 27-inch iMac because it’s going to be updated with a redesign and Apple silicon soon. But if you need a model with an Intel processor, you can save $100 at Amazon.
$1,699.00
$1799.00
Free
B & H Photo
$1799.00
Free
$1799.99
Free
Buying advice
Many retailers carry Mac configurations that are different from the standard configurations. They may have more RAM a bigger SSD, ethernet, or some other optional feature. This will affect the price. When shopping, maybe sure you read the specifications carefully so you get the Mac with the specs that you want.
Some retailers may sell older Intel-based Macs at deep discounts. Know that these Macs are older models and while they may be sold as “new,” they’re only new in the sense that they have never been opened.
If you have an Apple Card, use it with Apple Pay. You get 3 percent cash back on purchases made at the Apple Store, and 2 percent back on all other purchases made using Apple Pay. If you use the physical Apple Card, you’ll only get 1 percent back.
More Apple Black Friday Deals
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he’s worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.