( CNN ) -- It 's a recent Thanksgiving custom as traditional as turkey , stuffing or collapsing on the couch while watching NFL football : the Apple Store 's annual announcement of Black Friday discounts . Except that this year , there are n't any , exactly . Instead of marking down prices on Macs or iPads , Apple is giving out Apple Store gift cards to purchasers of various products . The cards are worth an estimated 10-15 % of the price for certain Apple devices , and more for accessories . Online and in its North American retail stores , Apple was offering gift cards of up to $ 150 for the purchase of a Mac , up to $ 75 for an iPad and up to $ 50 for an iPod . No gift cards were being offered for iPhones or the new iPad Mini , which went on sale earlier this month . In its European stores , Apple was offering modest discounts on products instead of gift cards . Online sales in the United States began after midnight Pacific time on Friday . Many brick-and-mortar Apple Stores opened at 6 a.m . Some of Apple 's competitors are sticking with more traditional Black Friday discounts . A number of items at the Microsoft Store are on sale , and the Sony Store also has a number of Black Friday deals . Last year the Apple Store offered discounts of about 10 % for expensive items and up to 40 % for cheaper products . CNN 's Brandon Griggs contributed to this story .
Apple is giving away gift cards with Black Friday purchases . This is different from past years , when Apple offered modest discounts on some items . Some electronics competitors are sticking with cutting prices .