Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products.
Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, and the gift card offer is now live in those countries as expected.
The store is down in the United Kingdom and many other European countries right now, and it will soon go down in the United States and Canada.
Many readers email us about Apple's online store going down ahead of Black Friday, so this is our annual reminder that it does not relate to new products.
In case you missed the earlier announcement, Apple is offering a free gift card with the purchase of an eligible product in select countries, from November 28 through December 1. In the U.S., the gift card values range between $25 and $200.
Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products, but better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals coverage for the latest discounts on iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches, accessories, and more.
