Wal-Mart Offering New 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 for $299

iPad 2 should be $99 by now, at the most $199

Carlanga said:

iPad 2 should be $99 by now, at the most $199

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If they did that, they would run out of stock and have lost a lot of money on manufacturing for nothing. Kind of a silly thing to do when people are still actively purchasing it.

Seems insane to me that people are still buying iPad 2s, even at a discount. You're buying something that's pretty much already obsolete out of the box, how well is is going to work 1, 2, 3 years down the line? I kept my iPad 1 for over 2.5 years and while it still worked, it was really struggling towards the end (poor battery life, many apps are slow or can't run at all, can't run the latest OS). And that was with a brand new model.

Still $100 overpriced. Seriously, the iPad 2 is almost 3 years old.

It should be no more than $199.

Anyone that buys one for $399 is out of their friggin mind.

Let it die already.

If Walmart starts a sale on the original iPad Mini for $199 I'm sold. I could definitely live without the retina display for $200 in savings.

I own an iPad 2. even I wouldn't recommend this product when my family and friends asked about it. it is too old.

HiRez said:

Seems insane to me that people are still buying iPad 2s, even at a discount. You're buying something that's pretty much already obsolete out of the box, how well is is going to work 1, 2, 3 years down the line? I kept my iPad 1 for over 2.5 years and while it still worked, it was really struggling towards the end (poor battery life, many apps are slow or can't run at all, can't run the latest OS). And that was with a brand new model.

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as a kindle reader, pdf reader and a few other tasks, just fine

Is this new stock, or old stock that Walmart is clearing out? I can't imagine them restocking on the iPad 2 in the last 2 years.

I have a 2 from 2011. Everything still runs well. But $299 doesn't make sense given that the current models are so much better.

HiRez said:

Seems insane to me that people are still buying iPad 2s, even at a discount. You're buying something that's pretty much already obsolete out of the box, how well is is going to work 1, 2, 3 years down the line? I kept my iPad 1 for over 2.5 years and while it still worked, it was really struggling towards the end (poor battery life, many apps are slow or can't run at all, can't run the latest OS). And that was with a brand new model.

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I've had mine since launch day and it's still better then what I bought it for: browsing and the occasional email. Crappy since I want to upgrade but can't justify it since it still works so well :-/

Parasprite said:

If they did that, they would run out of stock and have lost a lot of money on manufacturing for nothing. Kind of a silly thing to do when people are still actively purchasing it.

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Not really, it could be like the iPod touch were margins are less than their norm of ~45% margin. It's an entrance item to the apple ecosystem for you to then buy the other products.
$299 for an iPad 2 is for suckers IMO.

iPad 2 belongs in the overstock discount store with the discount brands by this point.

No idea why this iPad is still even being sold....

I was surprised that Apple kept the iPad 2 at the introduction of the iPad (4th gen.) I would have figured at the very least they would have put the iPad (3rd gen.) in the place of the 2 like they do with the iPhones.

Tankmaze said:

I own an iPad 2. even I wouldn't recommend this product when my family and friends asked about it. it is too old.

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My wife and I both have an iPad 2. For how we use them, it's fine. However, I wouldn't buy one now -- especially at $299. Lower it to $199 or even $149, and I might buy a couple more (as gifts).

I understand why Apple continues to sell them. I don't know if they continue to make them or if they are just selling out remaining stock. But, since the iPad 2 was the last one before the retina display was introduced for the iPad, I suspect it's less expensive to manufacture.

Back in 2011, the parts cost for an iPad 2 was estimated at $270 or $320, depending on who you believe. However, this was for an model that also worked on the AT&T or Verizon network. I'm sure those prices have come down, but I don't know if they are low enough to support a $199 price.

Spectrum Abuser said:

If Walmart starts a sale on the original iPad Mini for $199 I'm sold. I could definitely live without the retina display for $200 in savings.

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Last week there was a promo for a refurb iPad mini for $199, very tempted but couldn't justify, already have an iPad

Diode said:

I've had mine since launch day and it's still better then what I bought it for: browsing and the occasional email. Crappy since I want to upgrade but can't justify it since it still works so well :-/

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Key phrase being that you bought it on launch day and it has lasted you since March 2011. It's almost 3 years old now and at the ridiculous price of $299 it has to be one of the worst buys for any tablet if your in the market. And lets not forget that this is the sale price. It's not even a permanent price drop by Apple.

Shasta McNasty said:

No idea why this iPad is still even being sold....

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It's being sold because people are still buying it, even at $399. I think the question we're all meaning to ask is "why are people buying it?"

I think the answer is generally just technical ignorance. Not in a "you're an idiot way" but just the fact that the average consumer doesn't know much about the iPads beyond "$499 for Air or $399 for a heavier model without Retina."

Obviously from our perspective it's silly -- a refurb 4th gen would be far better, as would a retina Mini. Or, for that matter, if they insist on a lower-cost tablet a Nexus 7 or something like that would feel a whole lot faster than the 2.

I think the iPad 2 still has a large market; but, I think it's overpriced by $200. It's amazing that Apple thinks that the iPad Air, which is three generations newer, is only worth $100 more than the iPad 2.

cajun67 said:

I think the iPad 2 still has a large market; but, I think it's overpriced by $200. It's amazing that Apple thinks that the iPad Air, which is three generations newer, is only worth $100 more than the iPad 2.

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I agree but a fair price would be $159. I have an iPad 2 and it runs iOS 7 surprisingly well. I have a 3 year old Samsung Galaxy Tab that's essentially worthless. My iPad 2 is still fully functional and have no problems running most of the apps.

Apple is still making them because they are still fulfilling contracts they have to supply them to schools. They're still selling them in public because people are still buying them.

At $299 the iPad 2 is a good deal. It's in a better system then any other tablet out there and runs most of the software pretty well. I have an Air, a 4, and a 2 in my house and while there is definitely some advantages to using the newer models, our 3-year old iPad 2 is FAR from unusable.

dukeblue219 said:

It's being sold because people are still buying it, even at $399. I think the question we're all meaning to ask is "why are people buying it?"

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Most of the examples that I've seen are third-party purchases: gifts / employees / students. The people who end up using them are not the people who made the decision of which one to buy.

Still too much. I hope they finally knock the 2 out of the lineup with this new refresh.