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Why original iPads still sell well
Back when it first shipped in 2010, the original iPad was considered a miracle of modern technology. As with most consumer electronic devices, though, the minute its successor -- the iPad 2 -- was out the door, the original iPad was shunned for the shinier, faster models. But as Wired Enterprise blogger Robert McMillan reports today, original iPads are not only keeping their value, but they're really quite the bargain for a big screen tablet. Wired performed a study and found that used first-generation iPads are selling well, often at a price tag about US$100 less than a comparable iPad mini. The study quoted Nicholas Fiorentino of Totem, a used equipment reseller in San Diego, as saying "We are shocked at how well the iPad has held its value thus far. There are a lot of people who don't need all the bells and whistles that the iPad 2 and iPad 3 have." At this point, a first-generation Wi-Fi iPad with 16 GB of storage sells for an average price of $236. That same device sold for $499 in April of 2010, meaning that it's retained almost half of its value. Wired compares that to a Lenovo T410 ThinkPad, which came out at about the same time at $1,270 -- used ThinkPads are now available on eBay for about $300, having lost about three-quarters of their value. It's expected that the price of an original iPad will drop to about $50 within four years, making the device an irresistible buy for tech-savvy bargain hunters.
IRL: gfxCardStatus, Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3 and the OG iPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Different strokes for different folks. While Darren may have long since sworn off tablets as productivity machines, our very own Billy Steele (a designer by trade, don'tcha know) has been using one to workshop projects with clients. For Darren, anyway, productivity means having a laptop with a discrete GPU at the ready -- except for when the GPU drains his battery life, which is where an app called gfxCardStatus comes in. Rounding things out, we've got Jason Hidalgo talking up the different ways he's attempted to charge his needy PS3 controllers. All that and more after the break.
Verizon now selling original iPad for as little as $300
We've yet to see any sort of official announcement, but folks have been flooding various deal sites with reports that Verizon is now selling the original iPad for just $299.99 in-store. That's for the 16GB WiFi-only model, of course, but the 32GB and 64GB models have also apparently been discounted to $399.99 and $499.99, respectively. As you might suspect, however, there's also plenty of reports of Verizon already being sold out, so you might not want to waste much time if you're thinking about taking the plunge. MiFi sold separately, of course.
