Apple's Uninspiring Black Friday Deals

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Much was made about Apple's (AAPL) Black Friday deal offerings but it looks like the world's largest technology company isn't offering the deep discounts like other retailers.

Apple started its sales event on Friday, and though details were kept largely under wraps until Thursday, it appears better deals for Apple products can be had outside of Apple.

Apple is offering discounts on its iPad, iPod, and MacBook lineups, but outside resellers are offering bigger discounts on each of the products.

The iPad with Retina Display starts at $458 from Apple, saving you $41, but other retailers have it cheaper. Best Buy (BBY) is offering the 9.7-inch tablet for $439, a nearly $20 difference between stores.

Similar discrepancies are happening with the iPad 2 ($368 from Apple, as low as $339 elsewhere), the iPod Touch, iPod nano, and Apple's various MacBook computers.

Apple doesn't want to be perceived as holding the typical Black Friday sales event, said NBG Productions chief equities analyst Brian Sozzi in a recent phone interview. "It's Apple's way of saying we're still a premium experience. Let some of the other retailers drive a lot of volume, we're still a destination." Sozzi is also a contributor to Real Money, a sister site of TheStreet.

Despite Apple's unwillingness to be the lowest-price retailer, its retail stores are still the apple (pun intended) of retail's eye, generating more sales per square foot than any retail store in the world, including Tiffany (TIF). Research firm Retail Sails said Apple generates $6,050 per square foot in sales, with Tiffany generating $3,017 per square foot.

Apple has enjoyed a strong run in 2012, as it continues to be seen as an innovator, selling tens of millions of iPhones and iPads, and millions of iPods and MacBooks. Shares are up 38.69% year to date, while competitors in the computing space, HP (HP) and Dell (DELL), have seen drastic decreases in their share price. HP and Dell shares are off 53.64% and 38.07%, respectively, in 2012.

Interested in more on Apple? See TheStreet Ratings' report card for this stock.

--Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York

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