I'm in the market for a new iPad. I don't need the newest one available either, just need one mostly for work and school related tasks. I know WWDC is approaching and there is the possibility of a new iPad being announced and prices dropping on some of the newer models. I know Target currently has a $40 gift card deal going on with a new iPad purchase as well and that there may be some good deals out there that I just do not know about. Anyway, in your opinion should I wait for a potential price drop or is there a deal out there now that I should not pass up?
No reason not to buy one now based on what you need. Also, if you get a Target credit card (or if you already have one), you can save an additional 5%.
So you're saying that a price drop is unlikely? If so, do you know of any deals out there better than Target's?
It is rare for a current Apple product to be on sale. Generally places like Target or Best Buy offer things like gift cards or something in lieu of a sale price. It seems in the past that Apple has put their previous product on sale when a new product is ready to buy, but that could be a few months. For example, if they announce a new product in June, it may not be ready for purchase until September.
Rumor has it the next Ipad release will be this October: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/473769/20130603/ipad-5-release-date-rumors-specs-features.htm I wouldn't expect any price change on current models before then.
If there are I can't think of any. You still get the same warranty as if you've bought it new and it's cheaper. Looks brand new too since they replace the shell.
I got my mom an iPad 3 in October when the 4 came out. I think I paid 380. I ended up getting 30 bucks back on cashback also through discover card. The product looked brand new.
It's probably going to take a lot of points to get one, but see if the Ipad is part of the reward items you can get through your CC reward points program. That's how I got mine.
It is part of my Citi Thank You rewards. Last time I checked, it was 124,000 points to order one. I currently have 16,000 so I am missing it but just slightly.
You can also get 0% for 12 months through Apple. That makes things easier too, and you can even set up the payments to be automatic, so you don't ever even have to think about it. That's what I did when I got mine back after Halloween last year, and even though it was expensive, it was definitely a worthwhile purchase. And yes, get the newest one, the processor and screen are SO much better, it's not even close.
Thanks for the info. I don't really want to finance though when I can just pay for it, but I'd like to get the best price as well. I've got a $10 Target gift card and would get a $40 gift card back from them and if I sign up for a Target debit, then I would get an additional 5% off and get a new one there for just a little bit more than a refurb. This is the option I am leaning toward now. I will also consider your statements regarding the new version as well. Thanks for the info.
Check the apple products lifecycle website. http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ Should give you a rough idea as to when the next model is coming up, and hence whether to wait or not.
Damn! 124,000 points?!? Sounds like you a rip off lol. I guess since I get better hotel and airlines deals with my CC rewards card that just sounds like a horrible deal.
Good grief. I think on my card 124,000 would net me $1240 in cash back or 12-13 $100 Amazon.com gift cards.
I'd keep checking eBay Daily Deals, they always have iPads on sale, everything from refurbished 2nd gen, new 3rd gen, current get, and iPad Minis all the time that are usually 30% off
The prices on stuff in the ThankYou network mall are gawd awful terrible. They try to capitalize on people not doing the math on value. At minimum you should be valuing TYPs at $0.01 per point (ie a straight 1% back that almost every card does now). That iPad (like a lot of ThankYou mall stuff) is valued at $0.0025 or less. It's a total ripoff.
