The second best 10″ tablet on the planet has just dropped in price… assuming you’re OK with refurbished hardware. The iPad 2 is now available starting at a low of $319, shipped free, direct from Apple. Unlike many remanufactured products, Apple provides a full-on warranty (of 1 year) and even replaces both the battery and rear casing for a mightily pristine experience. In fact, I ordered my mother a refurb iPad 2 back when they were $349 back in March — it both looked and functioned as one would expect of brand new hardware.
The primary difference between the “new” iPad ($500 and up) and the prior generation iPad 2 is, of course, the “Retina” display (with associated slight increase in girth and weight due to the requisite larger battery). The iPad 3 also brings voice dictation, improved camera optics, and optional LTE wireless capabilities. Yet, many won’t appreciate or utilize these additional features (at additional expense), making the iPad 2 a solid value even if purchased new ($400).
Dang. At that price, maybe we should pick up one for the grown ups in our house. :-)
My guess is they’re getting good yields from the 22nm A5 SoC and want to clear out the old ipad2s so they can market the new ipad2 “now with 20% more battery life”.
Or maybe they just have a lot of extra refurbs.
I bought a refurb iPad 1 when the 2 came out (I think it was $349 then). You couldn’t tell it was a refurb, even knowing it was.
The iPad 2 isn’t enough to make me jump, but I will probably pick up an iPad 3 when the 4 comes out.
I can’t say that the device has changed my world, but it is nice for browsing while on the couch. The kids love it for the games…
John
I, too, wonder about the inventory Rodalpho. Could it also be repackaged new iPads returned by retailers like Target and Best Buy when the third edition hit? The refreshed iPad 2 with new silicon is actually pretty appealing – less weight, quicker charge, more battery life. Too bad folks can’t tell ahead of purchase if they’ll receive it.
Only 64GB in stock – bummer! Wonder if that’s it for 16GB or if they’ll pop back up in there down the road.
The 16GB should pop back up. They were out of stock for a few hours yesterday, too. So I’d check back in a day or so.
Roger! Thanks Dave.
The 16GB I ordered shipped from China via FedEx so these are simply refurbished iPad 2’s at 20% off list. Which is the price they should of been all along!
Seriously, the prices Apple sometimes asks for refurbs is ridiculous.
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