You probably heard that Apple announced the iPad 2 today. It will be on sale March 11 starting at $499.
What you may not know is that Apple also lowered the price of the existing models by $100. This discount will probably last until the older units are sold out.
The iPad 2 is probably worth the price difference, but the changes are relatively minor: a faster processor, slight weight reduction and front and rear facing cameras for Facetime calling. The new features will likely be most appealing to content creators who will want to use new $4.99 apps like iMovie and Garageband for video production on the road.
You can find info about the new version at Apple.com and the link to the discounted models is here . In typical Apple fashion, that link is buried deep on their site. I guess they don’t want too many people taking advantage of it! I still recommend the base model, unless you really want to have mobile connectivity. But if you already own an iPhone 4, version 4.3 of iOS will enable it to act as a personal hotspot for the iPad.
UPDATE:
If you were unlucky enough to have purchased your iPad within 14 days of yesterday’s announcement, Apple will refund you $100. according to GigaOM.