back to article UK iPad 2 to cost under £400

We're getting the iPad 2 a little more cheaply than last time. Apple today re-iterated that the second version of its hugely popular tablet will go on sale on Friday, 25 March. This time round, the basic, Wi-Fi only model with 16GB of storage will retail for £399, down from £429. The 32GB version will cost £479, the 64GB £ …

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  1. Annihilator
    Stop

    Always was

    "Getting the iPad 2 out at below the £400 mark - if only by a pound - is a psychological barrier overcome. It'll be harder for potential punters to argue the gadget is too expensive, and it'll turn many folk who thought £429 too much from passers-by into purchasers."

    Not really, IIRC the original entry level iPad was only £399 as well - it was the VAT increase that pushed it up to £429. Folk still complained it was too expensive.

    Yes, in terms of the "exc VAT" price, it's lower, but for most people it's the same price as it previously was. Having said that, it'll probably work for me as I'm looking for a new laptop for in front of the telly...

    1. technome
      FAIL

      Er, no...

      It was £429 originally and it was increased to £439 in the VAT hike.

      The iPad currently retails at £329.

    2. Dan Wilkinson

      you recall...

      ...incorrectly. The price was always £429. Even if it was £399, the increase in VAT would only account for an £8 rise.

    3. Annihilator
      Unhappy

      Whoops

      My very bad... :-|

  2. Dan Price
    Jobs Horns

    Enough to sell?

    Apple always have enough to sell, they just don't deliver enough to their stores. Increasing the perceived cachet of the latest iDevice by going "hey look, it's sold out!" is a damned shady marketing practice.

    1. Chad H.
      Stop

      This time its different

      The Quake in Japan has caused a shortage of 5 or so parts that are essential to the iPad. Rumours put it Apple's holding of these parts at about 2 weeks stock.

    2. Dan Wilkinson

      Nope

      Strange as it sounds, nothing makes you money like selling stuff. If you really honestly think that by holding back stock, they will sell more, than you are deluded. Plain and simple.

  3. dave 93
    Thumb Up

    Read it and weep

    Let me see, £600 for a Xoom, £500 for a Tab, or £399 for an iPad2?

    You would have to have a severe case of anti-apple-itis to even consider a different tablet.

    1. DrXym

      Or

      £250 for an Advent Vega, or £250 for an Archos 101. Biggest issue with Vega / Archos is they're Android 2.x based. I expect the field of tablets will expand dramatically over the course of the year with numerous sub £400 tablets to choose from. As for Xoom, Tab, those prices are just plain stupid and simply not justified by the hardware for what it is.

    2. Gordon 10

      Sad to agree but yes.

      Its a testament to Apple that they have managed to get and keep the iPad pricing and presumably the manufacturing costs so low.

      So far none of the other CE brands have even been close to price competitive. This spells big trouble for them with the bulk of the tablet Market likely to be split between "no name but good enough" value brands like Advent and Archos for Android tabs and the Apple halo effect that's pricey but has enough of a cache to make it worthwhile.

      If I were the Moto, Samsung, RIM or HP Tablet bosses I would be cacking myself.

      1. DrXym

        Asus, Lenovo, Acer, LG, Toshiba, Dell et al

        I expect Motorola has more to fear once the big name PC manufacturers pile in which they're starting to do already.

        Acer Iconia Tab (7") is supposedly €349, Asus Eee Pad (10") €399. Both are imminent. Still not as cheap as I expect tablets will be by year end but at least demonstrating that the price of a Xoom, Tab etc. is taking the piss.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Gordon

        >Its a testament to Apple that they have managed to get and keep the iPad pricing and presumably the manufacturing costs so low.

        Actually its a testament to poor sods working 6 12-hour shifts a week for $800 a month. Samsung et al insist their out-sourcers match local working time arrangements and don't force overtime for a living wage, longer hours than here but nowhere near the level of exploitation Apple forces on its supplier to reduce costs.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @Anonymous Coward 16:56

          "Samsung et al insist their out-sourcers match local working time arrangements and don't force overtime for a living wage".

          I don't know where you got this from, but let me tell you this is completely detached with Samsung's reality in their home country, which I presume is where most of the engineering gets done.

          Unless by local working time arrangements you mean working past midnight most days (no weekends), sleeping in the office or closet-sized dormitories and only seeing your own infant children for over a month on Skype (even though they're only a 3 hour drive away).

          t's a really sad life (almost pointless I think) that just makes one appreciate more what we have in the UK and Europe in general.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            FAIL

            @Gk.pm

            >I don't know where you got this from

            I got it from touring the Samsung plant at Tangjeong last year.........would love a trip round Fort Foxconn, but they don't allow visitors.

            Nothing I said can't easily be verified by a few minutes Googling - Samsung are very proud of their facilities and working conditions are excellent - also happy workers, an older demographic, genuine career opportunities, real training not a learn by rote approach to manufacture - I could go on. No problem with filming, broadcasters are in and out all the time and there's no shortage of video.

            Where does your info come from....?

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Gordon

        >So far none of the other CE brands have even been close to price competitive.

        Samsung are - doubly so since they make most of the core iPad components anyway.

    3. .stu
      FAIL

      Apples and oranges again!!

      Hmm Let's see how much is a 3G 32GB Ipad 2? Pretty much the same as the similiarly specced Xoom, but let' s not let facts get in the way of a good opportunity for some fanboyism...

    4. Roger B

      looks like the Gilette model to me

      If Apple take 30% of everything sold on the new wunderslab, then perhaps they can afford to sell it at a loss and come in cheaper than the competition they can make up the extra on applications/programs/subscriptions sold over its life time, I only know one person who has the original and no idea what he has on it, but anyone got any figures on how much the average owner spends in iTunes in the lifetime of the product, does it make up the difference between cost and retail price, plus more for profit? Problem is, the cheaper it stays the more people buy it, the more sales through iTunes there are and the more money there is to Apple as it becomes more and more desirable as each generation is born due to the 1,000,000,000,000,000+ fart applications you can buy.

  4. dotdavid
    Dead Vulture

    Too expensive

    "Getting the iPad 2 out at below the £400 mark - if only by a pound - is a psychological barrier overcome. It'll be harder for potential punters to argue the gadget is too expensive"

    No it won't. IMHO £400 for a keyboardless netbook is still too expensive. See? Easy :-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      re: Too expensive

      Next time you want a banana go buy an orange... (You're not comparing Apples to Apples). I was going to say, it's the software stupid, but it's also the hardware and support.

  5. James Hughes 1

    3G seems expensive

    Given the Kindle increase for 3g is £40 and you get free access for life, £100 for that 3G+GPS but no connection seems quite a lot.

    That said, the basic price is getting more like it, but isn't memory expensive nowadays......

    1. opaque

      :P

      Good luck with playing your itunes HD movies on your Kindle

      1. James Hughes 1

        @opague

        Can you read moron boy? I was commenting on the difference in price of the 3g features on the Kindle vs the iPad. £40 vs £100. No mention on what the device actually does. I'm quite aware that the Kindle doesn't play HD movies (or indeed movies of any sort). That is, I believe, why it is sold as an Ebook reader, not a tablet or PMP.

        Jesus, you really have to wonder at some people commenting here. I'm surprised they can typpe and breathe at the same time.

        1. Martin
          WTF?

          @James Hughes 1

          Did you see the :P in @opague's title?

          It means "tongue in cheek" - i.e. it was a slightly sarky response.

          It certainly didn't require the venom of your answer.

          I ask again - why is it that people feel that language that would get them bopped on the nose in a pub is reasonable on the internet?

    2. Chad H.

      Different Business plans

      Apple make a point of saying they run the iTunes stores breakeven to push more hardware... Whereas Amazon are selling cheap kindles to push more book sales.

  6. .stu

    motorola are you watching?

    This is good news all-round! Now the android tablet makers will either have to drop their prices substantially or risk seeing them left on the shelf in huge quantities.

  7. Big_Ted
    Unhappy

    Dam you Steve Jobs...........

    You just keep plugging away at making me want the new iPad.

    I had convinced myself that more than £400 was too much to pay to replace my version on iPad with iPad2.

    Now you go and market it for £399.

    Take off my Comet discount and its £359

    Take off the £150 I was going to buy a satnav for and its now worth looking again......

    £100 extra for GSM version = £499 -£49 discount = £450 - £150 = £300

    Give my current one as a family birthday present to sister and no more to spend ther for the rest of the year, another £100 saved.

    Now down to £200 for it.............

    Dam Dam Dam

    1. Dan 10
      Thumb Up

      I know...

      I wasn't going to bother until I found out that my new contractor status gives me tax breaks on IT kit - "tools of the job" and all that...

      Go for it!

      FWIW, everyone in the office that has an ipad seems to find it indispensable...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Sadly

      Until Apple opens up a bit on what you can do with hardware you own then I wouldn't have one if he were giving the things away.

  8. Roger B
    Stop

    Except

    It seems people will have to wait till 5pm on Friday

    http://www.mcvuk.com/news/43592/UK-iPad-2-launch-delayed-for-six-hours

    Apparently Apple stores wont be getting their stock till late so PC World and the rest have to keep hold of it.

    Is that so the queues will be longer in the afternoon so Apple can have more people outside their stores so it looks good on the news? Will the light be better Friday evening so photos in the press look better?

    Or is it just if Apple stores dont have stock till late Friday, the whole world and his iPad 2 wanting dog will have already bought their fondle slab MK II from PC World and the idea of having stock left over is just not fair/right or something?

  9. Piloti
    Thumb Down

    400 smackers....

    ... for a a screen without a keyboard, that can only access half the internet because of the 'flash' issue, only over wi-fi with only 16megs of on board storage..... ?

    Really, just what is the point of it ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      The point...

      ...is just beyond your grasp...

      1. Piloti
        Megaphone

        Well then.....

        I am £400 up. And I can use my existing linux netbook pretty much as I want, not as Apple tell me I should.

        Yep, the point IS beyond me.....

        1. Prag Fest
          Thumb Up

          I see the point now

          That's fair enough, I was out of line. I forget £400 is a months wages for some people, which understandably wouldn't make the iPad very attractive to you.

          1. Piloti

            @Prag....

            It is generally agreed that humans, as we are now, we have been around for circa 150,000 years. We can trace our lineage back quite away, and even claim links with Lucy, and she is really /very/ old. And as part of that process, humans have developed and honed cerebral activity into pre-planned activity and rational thought.

            It is just a shame you haven't.

    2. Prag Fest
      Stop

      @Piloti

      Palm has met face.

      1. Piloti
        Thumb Up

        Actually....

        I quite like the look of the HP / Palm thingies.....

        Maybe Palm will meet face if I can talk on the thing!

        Ta.

    3. Chad H.
      FAIL

      Half the Internet

      Anything thats only visitable in flash isn't worth visiting. Oh noes, I'm going to miss all of those annoying ads that take up the whole of my screen simply because when I scrolled down my mouse pointer was resting where the add rolled into.

      1. Piloti
        Jobs Halo

        Oh really....

        news.bbc.co.uk

        news.bbc.co.uk/sport

        www.ted.com

        http://www.intelligencesquared.com/

        RichardDawkins.net

        www.guardian.co.uk/

        So are you really saying they are pants because they run flash ?

        Yes, flash may be horrid, but lots of cracking good sites use it.

        And lots of people read these sites.

        Not Apple users, clearly, but maybe there in lay the whole point

        Have Apple, don't think....... ?

        1. Tom 38
          Flame

          @Piloti

          Any website that requires me to use flash is not interesting to me, since I don't even have flash on my desktop. As far as I can tell, all I'm missing is annoying flash adverts. Schade.

          None of the BBC sites require flash, most content is available in HTML anyway (including AV). Even if it isn't, I can get it on iplayer.

          For newspapers, well I wouldn't read Grauniad if you paid me, but I can get The Times easily enough.

          I'm assuming ted.com is some kind of flash porn site, and if the head of the anti god botherers hearts flash, well maybe christians are doing something right.

          </flamebait>

        2. Chad H.

          @ Piloti

          Apparently its "Hate Apple, Don't read". I said sites *only* visitable with flash.

          Guardian and BBC news sites clearly working without flash here.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Half the Internet

        By which Piloti means all the flash porn sites :-)

        Actually he might have a point there... nah, don't need them.

        NAS is already well stocked.

  10. RichyS
    Grenade

    Blimey

    That's the RIM PlayBook proper fecked then.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Japan

    There will be shortages and, though assembly will be in China (or Taiwan - which depending on your view is part of China), key components will be likely to come from Japan...

    So, from £399 ro £659 - a 65% variation between base model and top end. Now that tethering with an iPhone passes across GPS data, I'm not sure I need the 3G...

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Price

    To be honest it would be cheap at £1000. I'll definitely be getting one. Thanks Apple!

    1. Gangsta
      Troll

      Now!

      Now that's what I call troll baiting!

  13. Gordon861

    Archos

    If Archos can get Android 3 onto their latest units(7 & 10) they'll beat the Ipad by at least £100.

    1. RichyS

      And

      But they're shit.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      re Archos

      "If Archos can get Android 3 onto their latest units(7 & 10) they'll beat the Ipad by at least £100."

      Who cares? It still won't run iOS so you'll have all the Android hassles and virtually no support. Don't get me wrong, I like the Archos media players but assuming I'm going to use the device for work (which of course you may not be) then I want good tech support and if travelling, hopefully an Apple store nearby if I need it. I don't want to worry about whether an app is available on the version of Android I have or whether my tablet will get an update in a timely manner. I just want to get using the thing productively and that's what Apple offers, in spades.

  14. Cyclist

    Hmmmm

    Still torn. The New Bike Fund currently sits at a few grand and I don't need (or want) a new bike yet anyway. And this thing keeps looking at me, enticing me. Sure no-one needs an iPad, like no-one needs anything more than a cheap & cheerful MP3 player for 20 quid, or anything else for that matter. Not needing one doesn't seem to stop world+dog wanting one though.

    Tell you what. If El Reg can tell us how many olympic size swimming pools worth of iPads are shifted on Friday I'll get one.

    1. Annihilator
      Boffin

      Olympic pools

      Rounding up to the nearest olympic swimming pool, it will be 1 I suspect. Especially given that the 1st gen has sold roughly 3.4 OSP iPads in total (assuming they are out of the box)

  15. MikeHuk
    Thumb Down

    No Thanks!!!

    No Flash, No USB port, No card socket, No sale

    1. hexx
      Thumb Down

      why don't you get

      a laptop?

  16. twunt

    @DrXym

    Or... £289 for an refurbished 1st Gen iPad direct from apple. (Fully certified and guaranteed for 12 months).

    The Vega and Archos were ok when there was over £100 difference in price, but for £40 it makes no sense to buy either. They're also rans, not even capable of running the Android market until hacked, and even then they run 2.2, so you get scaled up versions of phone apps, NOT tablet apps.

    The Vega in particular is huge, with that awful bezel, lack of even basic Andoird hardware buttons, and the worst screen of any tablet I've seen - £250 of utter dissappointment.

  17. deadmonkey

    Must stop reading these comment threads

    You get a slight sense of deja vu as the tennis ball bounces backwards and forwards.

    Let's hope some of this turmoil across the world wipes us all out, to stop you all banging on like a bunch of old women :)

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