The Black Friday holiday season has come to an end, but for retailers and manufacturers of electronic technology alike, there is already another big shopping spree on the horizon. With just over ten days’ retail left to Christmas, consumers are thronging the stores looking for bargains and deals.
Among the cheap prices on technology over the Christmas period will be some deals on Apple kit. The iPhone 6 has been selling phenomenally well for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and there are some excellent deals on the market-leading smartphone available over the Christmas period.
Shoppers might be kicking themselves that they missed the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, but there are still some excellent prices available on the iPhone 6 and other Apple products over the Christmas break. But maybe it might make sense to avoid the crowds, and shop from the comfort of your own home.
Ebay and Amazon deals
One of the novel options for shoppers is to opt for one of the iPhone deals being offered by eBay. The online auction site has reduced the price of unlocked iPhone 5 devices to a very low level, which will appeal to consumers looking to pick up a smartphone at a particularly competitive price.
But there are a variety of other deals available on newer iPhones as well. The world’s biggest retailer Amazon.com has slashed prices on the on iPhone 6, as well as offering a great deal of bargains on some of the older iPhone models as well. It might even be worth iPhone consumers signing up for a temporary Amazon Prime account, given that the retail giant offers this on a 30-day trial basis.
The gold iPhone 6 has attracted a lot of media attention for Apple, and it fits into the image of the corporation as one that proffers luxurious devices. It’s interesting then that Amazon has chosen to slash the price of this model, with the unlocked Gold 16GB iPhone 6 available for $769.95 online. Amazon has also reduced the price of other 16GB devices in the iPhone 6 range, with the Space Gray model retailing for $789.99 over the Christmas period with Amazon, and the silver device selling at a price point of $779.95.
Weightier devices in the iPhone 6 range have also seen their prices sliced at Amazon. The 64GB gold iPhone 6 can be shipped free to your house in time for Christmas at the retail price of $934.91. This is marginally cheaper than the silver version, which is retailing at Amazon for $939.99. Meanwhile, in this storage category, the Space Gray model comes at a particularly attractive price, with Amazon offering it to consumers at $928.77.
Finally, there are also a raft of deals available at Amazon on the 128GB model of the iPhone 6. This is pretty much the ultimate iPhone, with the maximum amount of storage available. The gold version of the 128GB iPhone 6 looks to be a particular bargain at Amazon this Christmas, with its price point set at an extremely competitive $1,049. This is $40 less than the silver version of the same model, and the Space Gray version is priced at just under $1,100.
If you’re looking for a cheaper and older smartphone in the iPhone range, then Amazon is also offering a large range of discounts on both the older iPhone 5s and 5c. Each of these deals come with free shipping, which ensures that they will be with you in time for Christmas, and additionally every phone in question is unlocked. There are some great deals available on both the more powerful iPhone 5S and its cousin the iPhone 5c, with the 5s available for just $564.99, and the 5c retailing at a very rare price of under $500.
Apple’s to clean up over Christmas
Given the amount of deals available at Amazon on the iPhone 6, it is perhaps not surprising that retail analysts are predicting that sales of both the smartphone and phablet variants of the iPhone 6 will rise dramatically over Christmas. According to KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo, sales of the market-leading mobile device will rise exponentially to over 56 million units by the end of the Christmas period. This will put Apple firmly in line to beat its own sales targets for the device.
Although the iPhone 6 Plus has been vastly successful, and is currently dominating the phablet market, Kuo suggests that the Christmas period will see the smaller of the two flagship smartphones generating more consumer interest. The iPhone 6 will thus reputedly account for 60% of all iPhone sales in Q4 2014. This will help drive a quarter-on-quarter increase of 82 percent in the iPhone range; figures that will surely please Apple.
The iPhone 6 Plus has generated a lot of headlines in recent weeks, as it has become evident that the first ever phablet produced by Apple is significantly outselling more established devices. And although sales of the iPhone 6 Plus will hold up very respectably over Christmas, expectations indicate the degree to which the smartphone remains the dominant mobile niche.
Sales of the iPhone 6 Plus will amount for around 15 million units by the end of 2014, which will pale next to the 42 million sales of the smaller iPhone 6 device expected by the analyst community. Apple Insider has run with a report predicting these figures, although the publication has pointed out that poor availability is expected to hold back phablet sales for Apple to a certain degree. One can only speculate how many devices Apple would be able to sell if it wasn’t still experiencing supply chain issues.
iPhone stock to run dry
In such a context, it is perhaps not that surprising that many consumers believe it is possible that Apple will run out of at least one of its product lines over the Christmas period. According to a study performed by uSamp on behalf of 1010data, 71 percent of consumers believe that stores will run out of at least one esteemed product line over Christmas, while 42 percent expect the iPhone 6 to sell out.
Given the massive sales figures that the iPhone 6 has already achieved, and the bold predictions made for its Christmas sales, one wouldn’t bet against stock of Apple’s flagship smartphone running dry before the season ends. Now could be the time to take advantage of those Amazon deals.
