Apple clearing stocks ready for new iPad?

Apple kit has never been the cheapest around and it is quality, but at a price. If you struggle to afford the prices Apple charges for its gadgets and computers, you should visit the Refurbished and Clearance store. This is a section of the Apple website where the company sells old stock at reduced prices. It looks like new, works like new and Apple treats it like new, so you get the same warranty and support as new kit, but at a bargain price.

What caught my eye recently was the large number of iPads in the refurb store. Take a look at the Apple US store and scroll down the page - it goes on and on and there are dozens of refurbished iPads at knockdown prices. There are almost as many in the Apple UK store too.

Why are so many iPads for sale at such reduced prices? Is it normal to have so many or is this an indication that new models are coming soon and Apple is clearing out all the old ones? It certainly makes me wonder.

So what is Apple clearing out? All models are available. including the current 4th generation tablet, but the iPad 2 and mini make up the bulk of the offers.

Does this mean that the iPad 2 is soon to be dropped? It seems likely to me for several reasons. One is that this is getting quite old now and if people want a cheap iPad they can buy the mini. It will seem even older when the iPad 5 is launched, which is a sure bet in the run up to Christmas, otherwise a whole year would go by with no new iPad as the 4th gen model was launched last year. It's not that the iPad 4 is struggling to keep up with competitors, it's still the best tablet around, but Apple needs to maintain interest and cash flow. iPad sales were down last quarter and it's a fickle market.

Another reason why the iPad 2 might be on its way out is the upcoming release of iOS 7. Will it be compatible with the 2nd gen tablet? It would be a surprise if it was and I wouldn't expect it to support such old hardware.

Talking of old hardware, some of the iPad mini's internals are 2nd generation too. For example, it runs the same processor and has the same screen resolution. I think the large number of iPad mini's in the refurb store could well mean that an upgraded model is on its way.

The dual-core A5 chip powers both the iPad mini and iPad 2. The mini desperately needs an updated CPU to cope with the latest apps. I've noticed that some apps, games in particular, can be quite slow to start up on the iPad 2, and presumably the iPad mini is the same as it has the same specs. Apple has to upgrade it soon and I mean in the next couple of months. The chip in the iPad 4, a dual-core A6X with quad core graphics is just so much better.

Check out the Apple UK Refurb Store and the Apple US Refurb Store.