Apple has updated their online store with a teaser page for a “One-Day shopping event” for Black Friday. Black Friday is on, November 23rd, the day after Thanksgiving and Apple generally tends to give discounts on many of its products, including Mac, iPad, and iPod.

The Black Friday sales online and in-stores marks the start of the holiday shopping for both Apple and other retailers that offer steep discounts on many of their products. This kicks off nationwide holiday sales through the first week of January.

The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday, 23 November.

Get ready to give. Shop online or visit your favourite Apple Retail Store.
We’ll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop.

Apple also offers these discounts internationally, both online and in stores as a way to boost sales by offering reasonable discounts. Last year, in the US and other countries, Apple offered the following discounts:

iPad 2 – $41 to $61 Off
iPod nano – $11 off
iPod Touch – $21 to $41 off
MacBook Air – $101 off
MacBook Pro – $101 off
iMac – $101 off

It is unclear how much Apple will be discounting this year, with the addition of the iPad mini and new iMac lineup.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has retail stores all over the world, most recently in China and is now looking to spread out to other parts of the world, the latest country being Sweden. The Cupertino company reportedly filed for a business registration certificate and even began hiring for the store. Apple’s products are already available if many countries, even those without any Apple owned retail stores.

According to site 99Mac, Apple’s latest store is expected to be located in the Täby Centrum shopping center in Stockholm and will likely be opened September 15th. The new retail store will certainly benefit from the expected iPhone 5 release date of September 21st.

According to further reports, this isn’t the only location that Apple is planning for Sweden and is in fact planning one in Malmö for October 25 as well as another location in Stockholm. Sweden is the 14th country to receive an Apple owned Retail Store, showing the company’s dominance in markets that it deems massively profitable. This is Apple’s first retail stores in Sweden and surely not the last in the European region.

{via MacRumors}

Earlier this month, MacStories reported that Apple was setting up to add a new ‘Food & Drink’ app category to the App Store. The site mentioned that existing iOS developers were alerted by Apple that such as category was going to be added.

According to Apple, the new category will include “apps that help users cook and bake, mix drinks, manage recipes, find new restaurants and bars, and learn what their friends like to eat and drink”. Food & Drink won’t include diet, grocery shopping, coupon clipping, or food-related game apps.

On Thursday, the report was proven to be true when Apple added in the category and boasted that there were 2,800 paid apps and 4,000 free apps for iPhone as well as 1200 Paid and 1000 Free apps in the iPad. Apple has only contacted developers who have Food and Drink apps being placed within the section.

As a result, customers will be able to browse the App Store more easily for food and drink related applications, and download other similar apps. Apps that are relevant to the category will gradually be brought over to the new category, which were previously placed under the ‘Lifestyle’ section for lack of a better description.

{via MacRumors}

Over the last year, Apple has expanded their number of retail stores, including a new Apple Retail Store in the heart of Manhattan, in Grand Central Station. On Monday, ifoAppleStore reported that Apple is planning to open a new ‘Transparent’ retail store in France and Switzerland.

The new Apple Store, reported to be built in the Aix en Provence is planned to be a major architectural accomplishment for Apple, one that closely resembles Apple’s Upper West Side store. The rendering of the images show a mock-up of the store, with what it would look like on an average day with an almost invisible outer wall, showing the tables and display models of iPhone, iPod touches, and iPads set up inside.

The walls and ceiling are expected to be constructed of a special glass, different from the ones currently used, that allow the interior of the store to be entirely visible from a reasonable distance. The retail store located in the south of France has fair weather and a good share of customers walking through the shopping area.

The tourism office located on the south side of Place du General de Gaulle is going to be taken down, and replaced by the proposed Apple Store, which is expected to be open by open by late 2012 or early 2013. Apple’s Stores usually take anywhere from 6-8 months, with planning, construction, and opening, and it is a rather fast pace for any retail establishment.

This is an interesting Patent Application from Apple. And it seems to have some relevance to Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising network.

In simple terms the Patent describes the way an RFID reader built into the iPhone can be used to scan items in a store, and then check on the internet for more information on said item.

Verbiage in the patent tends to suggest that Apple intends to charge retail outlets, or their parent companies, to be included in the network. And also suggests that Apple will track our shopping habits when enquiries are made.

Presumably this could be used to both provide you, the consumer, with information on offers and similar / alternate items located in the store. But rest assured it will also be used by Apple and / or retailers to provide you with information they feel is “useful” to you too!

The service is called “Shopping” by Apple. And seems to be tied to Apple’s other iWallet / e-Wallet strategies surrounding the future of the iPhone, that we have reported on before.

Would you enjoy having a shop assistant in your pocket? Let us know in the comments.