Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/03/02/apple_slashes_ipad_price/

Apple cuts iPad price

Tablet discounted in run-up to new version's debut

By Tony Smith

Posted in Personal Tech, 2nd March 2011 19:26 GMT

Apple has knocked £100 off the price of the first-generation iPad.

Undoubtedly a move to clear the shelves before the arrival, on 25 March, of the new version, the upshot is that buyers can avail themselves of the older, thicker, heavier model for less.

The 16GB Wi-Fi only is now £329, down from £429 - which is what the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model now costs.

Run up the 3G-less line, and the 32GB iPad is now £399, the 64GB version £479. Add 100 quid to those prices to add HSPA 3G connectivity.

Who will take Apple up on the offer? With the superior offering only weeks away, not that fans, that's for sure. But it may be enough to tempt buyers keen on the tablet but thus far put off by the price.

Apple won't actively pitch the old iPad as the low-cost option, but that's what it will become, just as the iPhone 3GS is still being sold, despite the arrival of the iPhone 4 last summer.

But even £100 off still leaves the iPad looking pricey when even speedy, Nvidia Tegra 2-based, Android-running tablets like Dixons' Advent Vega can be had for £250. ®