14 DAY TRIAL // As many industry analysts predicted, Apple is clearing out stock of the iPad 1, making room on shelves for the all-new iPad 2 which takes the place of the original enhancing the tablet experience two-fold for the same price.
Introduced yesterday at a special event hosted in San Francisco, California, the WiFi version of the entry-level 16GB iPad 2 costs $499 - the same price Apple set for the original tablet when it was introduced around the same time last year.
The $499 price tag remained in place for the iPad 1 until yesterday morning when Apple took down its online store in anticipation of the iPad 2 announcement.
Once CEO Steve Jobs confirmed the device, its specs, price and availability, Apple put the store back online, placing the original iPad in the Clearance Items section of its Special Deals area, where it can now be purchased for $100 less.
Listed as “iPad with Wi-Fi 16GB (first generation)”, the entry-level device now costs $399. The listings continue, with: iPad with Wi-Fi 32GB (first generation) - $499; iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G 16GB (first generation) - $529; iPad with Wi-Fi 64GB (first generation) - $599; iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G 32GB (first generation) - $629; iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G 64GB (first generation) - $729.
But there’s an even better deal you can get on the original iPad, according to Apple. If you don’t mind it being refurbished, you can grab one for as little as $349.
As Softpedia readers should well know, Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale.
Only some units are brought back because of technical issues, yet all of them undergo Apple’s rigorous process of quality-refurbishment.
Customers get the usual one-year warranty and 90 days of telephone support.
Visit the Special Deals area of Apple's online store to have a closer look at these offerings. Note that Apple will sell original iPads for as long as existing units are in stock. The company has stopped producing them.
