Apple rumors are always the most popular during the holiday season. With Black Friday coming next week, the rumor mill is operating at top speed hinting that Apple is about to offer super-steep discounts on iPods and Macs (but not iPhones). The rumors also say that an Apple posting for a game designer verifies the long-awaited Apple tablet.
The Boy Genius Report posted an image of an e-mail that allegedly will be sent out in time for the day-after-Thanksgiving sale. The pitch is notable because of the steep discounts it offers: "Up to 30 percent off all iPods" and "up to 25 percent off all Macs." In small print, the promotion says iPhones and iPod shuffles are not included in the deal.
Those details suggest Apple is going to be pushing the iPod touch, which is currently priced at $199 to $399, while the iPhone 3G is priced at just $99 and the 3GS is priced at $199 to $299. Since the iPhone is more capable, albeit with a hefty AT&T  bill, Apple may be looking to bring the touch into line with iPhone pricing.
'Wishful Thinking'
Pricing like this might create a stampede to Apple stores, but Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies, wrote in an e-mail, "Apple traditionally does not do discounting, so this rumor seems like wishful thinking."
The Unofficial Weblog, which covers all things Apple, voiced its disbelief more strongly. Steven Sande posted a version of the Boy Genius graphic with the comment, "There is no flippin' way this is going to happen!"
Why not? First, as Bajarin said, Apple rarely offers discounts, Black Friday or otherwise. Secondly, Apple doesn't need to attract customers to its retail stores. "Let's face it, most of the Apple stores are going to be packed on November 27th, so why would Apple want to create traffic jams and general hysteria by doing something like this?" Sande wrote.
Huge discounts on Macs are "an Apple fanboy's most exciting dream (next to the iTablet, of course)," Sande said, but any discounts would be far more modest.
Job posting a sign of iTablet?
Speaking of the iTablet -- a long-rumored large-format touchscreen device -- some Apple sites are making a strained connection between an Apple job ad and the longed-for device. Apple posted a job opening for a "skilled software engineer who wants to work as part of a small highly motivated team to work on interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod touch." (continued...)
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