Apple met or beat analyst expectations for sales over the weekend, selling 13 Macs and 3.4 iPhones every hour, according to one Piper Jaffray estimate.

Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said that Apple's Black Friday promotions helped drive retail store traffic, according to reports from distributors. Wu also noted that the iPod touch is sold out at Amazon.com, which leads him to believe that Apple could sell $10 billion worth of products this quarter.

Thomas Weisel Partners' Doug Reid got the impression that Apple sales were up from last year. He was less optimistic about Dell's retail performance at Best Buy locations, noting that salespeople there were not strongly recommending Dell models at 35 stores they checked.

Weisel analysts expect Apple to sell 2.4 million Macs during the fourth quarter.

Deutsche Bank analysts also conducted their own checks over the weekend, and found demand to be "solid," considering the current global economic woes. They expect Apple to sell 5 million iPhones this quarter, and reiterated their "buy" rating and price target of $150 per share.

AAPL was down slightly in morning trading.

Just because Apple aficionados have historically been willing to pay a modest premium for the world's best computers, music players and cellphones, that doesn't mean they don't enjoy the occasional bargain as much as their Windows-using, Zune-toting, Blackberry-typing brethren. In the spirit of healthy holiday consumerism, here's our list (far from comprehensive) of a few select deals for the Black Friday sales. You can get full-on shop-till-you-drop coverage at dealmac.com, and quick overviews from Gizmodo and dealNN.

Naturally, Amazon and Newegg both have big discounts on most gear for today -- not all of it is good for Macheads but there are plenty of treats on the hard drive, headphone and camera front. Amazon is selling SwissGear backpacks for $24, which is tempting, and shows the iPod touch 8GB at $209; that's likely to be matched by the Apple Store's one-day discount as it rolls around the globe. Newegg has the usual excellent pricing on hard drives and flash memory, although not much on the 'secret deals page' is overly Apple-oriented; $19 for an 8 GB flash drive might raise some eyebrows and liberate some funds, though.

The heat on hardware is also clearly set to 'high' with the discounts from Best Buy, MacMall and MacConnection. Right now MacConnection is showing the best deal on my benchmark machine (the midrange MacBook unibody), with a selling price of $1149 -- keep an eye on the other sites too, as MacMall is right behind at $1179.

If you love to watch TV on your shiny Mac screen, there's a deal for you too. Elgato is offering $50 off of the $149 EyeTV Hybrid HDTV tuner and DVR software bundle today. This is a particularly good item for anyone who has an older analog TV in a spot where they don't have cable or satellite but they do have a computer -- it's a great way to get through the digital transition in February of 2009, as domestic US television drops its analog signals for good.

Nobody can live by hardware alone, though, and there are plenty of software and accessory vendors who want to grab their fair share of your gift budget. A few of note below...

...for the downtime in the store means that the Black Friday discounts will soon be up in the US. We already know the rough scale of the savings -- modest, not dramatic -- so don't get too excited!

Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Now, go to bed and sleep off that load of turkey.

Thanks to the magic of the International Date Line, it's already Friday in Australia -- hence the early appearance of the Apple Store discounts for the first Friday of the holiday shopping season. The one-day gift discounts are nice but nothing to jump up and down about... the headliner is probably the A$161 off of the 13" MacBook laptop.

We'll keep an eye out for the US numbers and update you on more shopping deals throughout the day today and tomorrow.

[via Engadget]

Say what you will about Microsoft Office 2008, but even with the advent of productivity suites in the cloud and from the open source world, there's still a lot to be said for having the industry standard package tucked away on your Mac in case you need it. If you don't own it yet, you might consider picking up a copy today: there are multiple deals on Office 2008 Special Media Edition, which includes Expression Media 2 (successor to the veteran content manager iView Media).

Microsoft has dropped the list price of the software to $149 for today only, a 70% discount, and you can do even better than that: Amazon has a one-hour deal for $99 for Office 2008 SME, expiring shortly; for even more savings, NYC retailer Tekserve has the same product for $79, good through 11/30, along with a pageful of other Mac and iPod deals. Time to warm up the checkbook.

Thanks TJ & everyone who sent this in.

With a little more than 24 hours before the official start of the 2008 holiday shopping season, Apple has made a new offer to shoppers. The iPhone 3G Gift Card provides its lucky recipient with an activated iPhone that has been tricked out with email and personalized ring tones. Plus, an Apple Store Specialist will help the new owner customize his or her home screen, pick some great apps and find their favorite songs.

You can purchase the card in any amount starting at $25US toward the cost of a new iPhone. They may be redeemed at any Apple Store in the US. Apple also notes that the iPhone 3G Gift Card can also be used for all things Mac and iPod at the Apple Online Store or any Apple Retail Store. Sweet!

[Via Steve Rubel]

AppleInsider, MediaBistro and more are all pointing to some sweet Best Buy discounts on Apple products for Black Friday weekend that include laptop and desktop computers. Sale prices are good online and in-store.

Best Buy apparently stocked up on inventory to support the event. Apple employees will also be staffing Best Buy locations to push sales. The four-day sale extends from Sunday until Wednesday. (Thanks, Michel.)

Also of note: Apple retail stores will match other authorized retailers' advertised prices. According to ifoAppleStore, if you supply proof of the competitor's pricing (like Best Buy's circular), Apple retail employees have the authority to approve a discount matching that price.

If that weren't enough, as Cory mentioned earlier, Apple will also be having its own online Black Friday promotion.

After the jump, discounts ahoy!

If rumors are to believed, Apple will do its part to stimulate the economy on November 28th, also known as "Black Friday" here in the US.

Generally recognized as the start of the holiday shopping season, the day after Thanksgiving is when retailers lure shoppers out of their beds at ungodly hours with the promise of huge discounts. Yes, nothing says "let's go shopping at 5AM" like a stomach full of tryptophan.

While Apple has not revealed their Black Friday plans, analyst Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital says he expects aggressive pricing to compete with a dismal economy and significant offers from competitors. For instance, some American big box stores are expected to drop PC prices below $300US. How will Apple do it? Twenty-five billion dollars in cash reserves and no debt certainly helps.

So go easy on the Schlitz and set your alarms for The Crack of Dawn. There are deals to be had.

Update: Yes, the image originally accompanying this post had the appointment listed on the 27th. Let's just say it was a test of your skills of observation.

NYC's venerable Mac retailer Tekserve has posted a list of discounts for its post-Thanksgiving one day sale, available in person or on phone orders. The savings include a steep 30% discount on the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and Turbo.264 units; a $300 savings on the previous-edition 24" iMac, $40 off a LaCie 160GB portable drive (first 50 customers only), and plenty more.

The days of BARS may be well behind us (Before Apple Retail Stores), but Mac users of longer memories will recall how challenging it once was to find a storefront shop with the savvy, supply and sticking power to serve the Apple customer community. This holiday season, in addition to your shopping excursions to the mothership's outlets, please make an effort to support the remaining independent resellers who stood by the platform during the lean years.

Is your local indie Mac shop offering Friday sale discounts? Post a comment here to let us know and we'll summarize the sales on Friday morning.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the States and that means two things:

1. Posts to TUAW will slow down as we celebrate the holiday
2. Apple will have a big 'Black Friday' sale

Black Friday is the nickname given to the Friday after Thanksgiving when Americans shrug off the ill effects of consuming too much turkey and go on the hunt for great prices. Apple has setup a special website that lets you get the lowdown on the 'one-day shopping event' this Friday.

Apple will be offering free shipping from the online store, as well as special pricing and hours at their retail stores (plus they will match better prices).

I will still be in a turkey coma, but good luck to all you bargain hunters out there.

Thanks, evan.