Apple products rarely go on sale, so Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best times to snag discounts on these popular tech devices. But not every Apple price markdown is worth jumping on.

Before you add one more gadget to that shopping cart, this week's episode of One More Thing (embedded above) offers advice on how to identify the best Apple Black Friday sales, and which ones I think you can skip.

It matters where you shop, too. Apple retail stores don't mark down prices. Instead, Apple is hosting a special online Shopping Event where you can earn gift cards with the purchase of select products (the gift card only applies to a future purchase). In any case, the discounts you get at other retailers are often greater than the value of the Apple gift card.

Based on the best Apple sales now, it's clear this is a prime opportunity to grab an iPad and an iPad accessory like the Apple Pencil Pro (be sure to check if your iPad is compatible). 

Earbuds and headphones are also always a hot category for Black Friday. The AirPods Pro 2 are a good choice, though you might find more joy in the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, which actually stay securely in place (because no one wants to regret losing their AirPods). 

There are plenty of good MacBook Black Friday deals, but recent rumors of Apple making a bargain MacBook make it hard to recommend grabbing this older, more affordable M1 MacBook from Walmart.

Can't commit to a big purchase? Give everyone an AirTag at the biggest price markdown I've seen yet. 

For more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.