Already! Black Friday predictions

Look for big holiday discounts on laptops, e-readers and LCD HDTVs, Dealnews predicts.

By MSN Money Partner Sep 20, 2011 5:10PM

This post comes from Melinda Fulmer at MSN Money.

Sure, the kids are barely back in school, and there's more than two whole months before Black Friday, the traditional holiday shopping kickoff. But the editors at Dealnews.com think you should start thinking about your gift list now.

They've compiled a list of what they predict will be the hottest deals on electronics in the two-week festival of spending that Black Friday has become.

"You can expect some very aggressive deals this Black Friday season across the board," Dealnews CEO Dan de Grandpre said.

Just don't expect bargains on the iPad or soon-to-be-released iPhone 5, two of the most coveted items this holiday season. Sure, Apple surprised everyone by discounting the iPad 8% last year, but Dealnews isn't expecting a repeat.

Instead it predicts a more banal 5% to 10% discount on iPods, iMacs and MacBook computers.

For the best Black Friday deals, Dealnews recommends shopping Apple-authorized resellers such as Amazon.com, MacConnection and MacMall, which have offered discounts double that of Apple for the past two years running. Post continues after video.

And if you're not set on the iPad, you can score some rock-bottom deals on Android tablets, such as the Motorola Xoom for as low as $319 and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab for $239.

Moreover, if you haven't gotten an e-book reader yet, this year could be your year:

The Kindle 3 Wi-Fi e-book reader should drop to $99, Dealnews predicts. Older models could drop even further with a rumored upgrade in the works.
And the price of the Nook Color will slide to $179. Most of these readers are likely to be bundled with at least $25 in book credit.

Expect some decent deals on HDTVs, too:

32-inch 1080p LCD sets will drop as low as $199.
Giant 60-inch 1080p LCD HDTVs could be slashed the most, to $699.

Other Black Friday standouts this year will be 16-inch dual-core laptops as low as $189 and Netflix-enabled Blu-ray players selling for $45.

Smart Spending will track the best Black Friday deals as they are leaked and give advice in the weeks ahead on the best way to save money on your holiday shopping this year.

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Editor Bev O'Shea lives and works in the foothills of the Appalachians. A former copy editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Orlando Sentinel, she joined MSN Money in 2007. She's a fan of sunsets, college football and free shipping, among other things.

Having worked as a writer, reporter and editor for more than 25 years, Editor Julie Tilsner is the sort of person who can't help but correct grammar in Facebook postings and on billboards. She's written for BusinessWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Parenting, Redbook, AOL and others. She lives in Los Angeles County with her family and loves to drink wine and practice yoga, although not generally at the same time.

A writer for MSN Money since January 2007, Donna Freedman won regional and national prizes during an 18-year newspaper career and earned a college degree in midlife without taking out student loans. She also writes about smart money tactics for magazines and on her own site, Surviving and Thriving.

Mitch Lipka has been warning people about scams and shining light on questionable business practices for more than 20 years. Mitch, the consumer columnist for The Boston Globe, has also been a reporter and editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Consumer Reports, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and AOL. He won the 2010 New York Press Club award for best consumer reporting online and was honored in 2011 for his reporting on child product safety.

Marilyn Lewis is an award-winning writer with a passion for getting readers clear, straight information that helps them stay out of financial trouble. A former reporter for The San Jose Mercury News, she works from her home in Port Townsend, Wash. Contact her at MarilynLewis@Outlook.com.