Cyber Monday 2013: Where to Look for the Best Tech Cyber Monday Deals

Cyber Monday deals will soon be here to replace the Black Friday sales that ran out of stock, and while there is not as much build up for Cyber Monday, there are many deals shaping up for Monday, and we are seeing some Cyber Monday 2013 deals start even earlier than normal.

If you are looking for the best Cyber Monday 2013 deals you will need to wait for Sunday and Monday, but you can at lease start planning which stores you will be checking and take stock of what you didn’t get at Black Friday sales to plan out your purchases for Cyber Monday.

If you want to go big on Cyber Monday 2013 you will need to be ready to buy when the deals go live if you want in on biggest savings because these deals will go very fast. If possible add an item to your cart and then do your research to compare prices and read reviews, but keep in mind you will need to check out within about 15 minutes.

Here’s a look at the Cyber Monday 2013 deals we know about and the stores you need to keep an eye on to find the best deals. Most of the Cyber Monday 2013 deals start around midnight on Sunday night, while some will start earlier in the day.

The Walmart Cyber Monday 2013 deals are mostly under wraps until after Black Friday ends, but we do know about two Walmart Cyber Monday tech deals worth looking at.

First off is a 46-inch Samsung LED HDTV for $478. There are no specifics on this HDTV yet, but at this price expect 180P, 120Hz and possibly some Smart TV features.

Next up is an iPod touch for $199. This may be a 16GB model that normally retails for $229, which means $30 in savings. The Apple Store offers a Black Friday deal of a $50 gift card which is a better deal.

It's not advertised, but there will be Walmart Cyber Monday Xbox One and PS4 deals, with consoles in stock for online sales on Monday December 2nd.

There is a 7-inch Double Power Android tablet that falls under our warning of avoiding cheap Android tablets. These are only a small number of the deals we will see. The Walmart Cyber Monday 2013 deals will run all week, starting Monday December 2nd.

Early Cyber Monday iPad Deals Match Black Friday Deals

Target is continuing its Black Friday iPad discounts and gift card giveaway scheme through Cyber Monday, offering $75 and $100 cards with the purchase of select iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad 2 models. Those who camped out in line or dealt with the Black Friday mobs to score iPad deals may have wasted their efforts considering that anyone can just waltz into Target and get the same deals today, without the mad rush.

The retailer is offering a $20 discount on the 16GB iPad Air and throwing in a $100 Target gift card that can be used on future purchases. The gift card cannot be used towards the purchase of the iPad Air. Target is also offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of the $399 16GB iPad 2, though we no longer recommend buying the aging device.

UPDATE: Target’s Taken down this offer and readers are reporting the discount cards are no longer being offered in stores. We’ll keep our eyes out for more iPad sales. 

Target is offering $75 gift cards with the purchase of the iPad mini or the new iPad mini with Retina display, neither of which are discounted like the iPad Air. The original 16GB iPad mini carries the standard $299 price tag. The 16GB iPad mini with Retina display sells for $399.99.  This gift card promo brings the effective price of the iPad mini down to just $224, which is $5 cheaper than the Nexus 7.

The gift card offers aren’t just limited to the 16GB iPad models, extending to the higher capacity models. These gift card offers are excellent, so long as you apply it to something you’d normally buy. Of course you won’t save anything at all if you end up spending the gift card on iPad accessories or any other items you don’t really need.

While these pre-Cyber Monday deals are attractive, this isn’t the best iPad mini deal we’ve seen this week. Both Best Buy and Walmart were offering $100 gift cards on the iPad mini through Black Friday. Now that those deals are over, Target seems to have the best widely available offering on both the iPad Air and iPad mini.

Though the original iPad mini is an excellent value, those who can afford the  iPad mini with Retina display should buy the newer model. In our review of the iPad mini with Retina display, our reviewer called it “almost perfect.”

We don’t expect Apple to match this iPad deal on Cyber Monday. Apple held a one-day gift card giveaway event on Black Friday that we don’t expect it to repeat any time soon. That promotion offered gift cards of up to $75 with the purchase of select iPads.

Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet selling for $99 this Monday at Microsoft Store locations

Summary: After the first 20 are sold at each brick-and-mortar outlet, the price goes up to $199 while supplies last. The first 100 tablets sold through the Microsoft online store will also be available for $99, or $199 thereafter.

They might not get the love that Apple stores often do, but Microsoft has slowly amassed more than 40 retail locations over the last couple of years. If you haven't been to one yet, and you're in the market for a new Windows 8.1 tablet, you might want to pay a visit this coming Monday.

That's because Microsoft is offering the Dell Venue 8 Pro for just $99 on December 9 -- and only through its physical stores. That's a massive discount from the $299.99 price that Dell itself sells the base model for. In fact, Dell didn't even offer much of a deal on it during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, choosing just to throw in a free case and a year's worth of accidental damage service if you purchased at the full price.

Of course there's a catch. Only the first 20 Venue 8 Pro tablets sold in each location will be available at the $99 price. After that, the price shoots up to $199 as long as stock lasts (though it may be as little as 10 additional units at a store). That's still a pretty good deal, but the price difference should prompt you to arrive early if you want a chance at the better bargain.

While your best opportunity to score the Venue 8 Pro for dirt cheap is by physically showing up at a Microsoft store, the company's online store will also offer the $99 price for the first 100 units sold. Again, once that quota is reached, the tablet will be available for $199 until supply runs out.

Is the $99 price enough to get you to go to a Microsoft store on Monday to buy a Venue 8 Pro? Let us know in the Talkback section below.

Via The Verge

Sean Portnoy is a former executive editor at Computer Shopper magazine and editor at CNET Networks.