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On to business. Today’s deal is likely to sell out fast, so let’s get straight to the action: Today only, and while supplies last, B&H Photo has the Apple iPad Air 128GB (Wi-Fi + 4G) for $449 shipped. It’s new, not refurbished.
If you’ve ever priced iPads, you know that’s an unusually good deal. Apple sells the same model, refurbished, for $629. And the equivalent iPad Air 2 runs a jaw-dropping $829. Heck, the 16GB Wi-Fi-only Air 2 starts at $499.
The above link takes you to the white/silver model, though you can also select black/space gray. Both are for T-Mobile, but B&H is running the same deal on the Sprint versions. (Just FYI, you don’t have to sign up for 4G service; it’s entirely optional.)
Even at $449, the iPad is not exactly cheap, especially for a last-gen model. Anyone who read last week’s treatise on the $37.99 tablet may wonder how I can possibly even suggest buying one that costs more than 10 times more.
Simple: iPads are awesome. Overpriced, yes, but as tablets go, they’re in a class by themselves. That’s not fanboy talk, and it’s definitely not Cheapskate talk; I’m just saying I’ve tried every tablet known to man, and not one comes close to the elegance and excellent user experience of the iPad.
This is a rare opportunity to score the top-end model for less than the price of the entry-level model. Man, oh, man, it’s hard for me to pass this up. Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Watching the NBA Finals last night, I was reminded how awesome it is to watch sports in HD. And the bigger the HD, the better. Today only, Best Buy has an Insignia 55-inch LED HDTV for $429.99 shipped (plus tax). Insignia is Best Buy’s house brand, but don’t let that deter you: This model earned a 4.7-star average rating from some 130 buyers. Very telling. It’s not a smart TV, but it does offer three HDMI inputs and, um, a remote!
Bonus deal No. 2: Regular readers know of my love of projector-powered home theaters, but not every wall is suitably flat and white. Hence, this: For a limited time, Best Choice Products (via eBay) has a 100-inch motorized projection screen for $49.99 shipped. The aspect ratio is 4:3, so not ideal for movies, but still an awfully inexpensive way to turn nearly any wall into a big-screen TV. It even has a remote! Screen goes up, screen goes down. Screen goes up, screen goes down. Woo-hoo!