Apple, Dell Likely to Cut PC Prices Friday

With tech spending plummeting, some PC makers and resellers are frantically cutting their prices, targeting Black Friday as the launchpad for the critical holiday sales period.

Even Apple(AAPL), which typically keeps tight control of its pricing, appears to be tweaking its price tags, albeit through the resellers.

Apple's low-end MacBook, which has a list price of $999 on the company's Web site, is on sale for around $899 at Best Buy(BBY ), B&H Photo and Amazon.com(AMZN).

The company also has an ad on its Web site promising a special "one-day shopping event" on Friday. Although Apple has not revealed specific details of the promotion, the teaser says it will include a variety of Mac, iPod and iPhone gift ideas.

Apple, which launched its first sub-$1,000 MacBook last month, recently reiterated its intention to focus on notebook features rather than price.

At least one analyst thinks that desperate times, however, call for desperate measures, hence the resellers' price cuts.

"These moves aren't from Apple, they are from their retail partners," said Richard Shim, research manager at tech analyst IDC, referring to the offers from the likes of Best Buy. "But if these actions lead to considerable gains, we could see something [from Apple]."

Shim told TheStreet.com that with $24.5 billion in cash and a successful retail business, Apple could ride out the current economic downturn, but he would not dismiss the possibility of price changes.

"Apple has insulated itself very well, they have a very large fan base, and their growth is above the industry average, but they are very good at reading the writing on the wall," he said.