Microsoft, Amazon and Sears get Black Friday tech deals underway
We are just over a week away from Black Friday, the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season. It's the day when normally sedate citizens forget their manners and trample anyone standing between them and the desired item. Much of this tradition has moved online in recent years, but the scene at retail stores still borders on crazy.
While the offerings of many locations have been leaking out to the internet over the past few days, three of the heavy hitters stand out. Microsoft, while running a number of brick and mortar stores, is traditionally an online entity, Amazon is completely internet-based and Sears is an old-school physical location retailer that has tried to make the online move. Three businesses in very different positions.
Sears caught our attention because it will be offering three 4K TV sets for under $1,000 -- all three are Seiki branded sets. It's not a big name in the market, but prices and customer reviews make these a rather tempting offer for the budget minded. The sets range in size from 39 to 55-inches and prices will span $499.99 to $849.99.
Microsoft has not unveiled pricing on its deals yet, but it has revealed its lineup. Included in the list of items is the original Surface, a Dell Inspiron 15z notebook, two models of the Xbox 360, and various other laptops, games, headphones and more. While Microsoft is displaying the items now, the prices are only internet rumors and, until confirmed, there is no need to speculate on them here.
Finally, there is Amazon, which is not waiting for midnight on November 28th to kick off its sales. The company today unveils that things will begin "on Sunday, November 24, with new daily deals -- as often as every ten minutes. Customers can also enjoy free shipping on millions of eligible items including leading electronics and some of the most anticipated toys, or unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 15 million items with Amazon Prime".
The online retailer has set up its traditional Black Friday site, and revealed a teaser of its electronics offerings, including several TV's, Blu-ray players and digital cameras. Of particular interest is a discount on Google's Chromecast -- $29.99, down from the usual $35. That's not a major drop, but the item is rather cheap to begin with.
What are you shopping for this holiday season? Is a 4K TV (that lacks any content) on your list of must-have items? Will you opt for the discounted Xbox 360, even in the face of new console release?
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