Apple’s last-gen iPad has dropped to $229 for a limited time
Two words: headphone jack. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Although Apple’s tablet lineup has undergone several shakeups over the last several years, we long considered the ninth-gen iPad to be the best budget iPad you could get. That changed when Apple dropped the price of the 10th-gen iPad to a more sensible $349 and discontinued its entry-level model. But the 2021 iPad remains a perfectly good slate, especially now that the base model with 64GB of storage is down to an all-time low of $229 ($100 off) at Amazon and $229.99 at Best Buy.
As far as hardware is concerned, the ninth-gen iPad is very much a remnant of Apple’s former design language. The 10.2-inch tablet has a traditional iPad look with large bezels, a dedicated home button, and a Lightning port — not to mention a 3.5mm audio jack for using a pair of wired headphones.
Inside, you’ll find Apple’s aging A13 processor, which, despite first appearing in the iPhone 11 in 2019, still offers speedy performance when playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, and tackling all the usual things you might use a tablet for. It’s still beholden to the first-gen Apple Pencil and older accessories like the Smart Keyboard, yes, but given its age and price, it’s an understandable trade-off.
If you’re concerned about support, rest assured that Apple’s last-gen iPad will be compatible with iPadOS 18 when it launches in the fall. It won’t support any of Apple’s forthcoming Apple Intelligence features, though, which require a newer iPad Pro or iPad Air model with an M1 chip or later. I guess the new calculator app will have to do.
Other ways to save today
Now through August 18th, Woot is selling GE’s Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker in refurbished condition for $289.99 ($259 off the cost of a new unit). The standard model on sale here isn’t quite as easy to clean as the step-up Ultra configuration our own Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reviewed last month, but the connected appliance can still produce a staggering 38 pounds of chewable ice a day. Now, whether you intend to schedule it or ask Alexa or Google Assistant to fire it up before your next tiki drink is entirely up to you.
Zendure’s 20W SuperMini Portable Charger is down to just $9.49 (about $51 off) in select colors at Amazon right now, which is easily its best price to date. The travel-ready charger features both USB-C and USB-A outputs, a compact design, and a 10,000mAh battery, which is enough to top off most smartphones at least twice.
If I hadn’t already picked up one of the blurple Apple Watch Sport Bands Nomad recently produced in collaboration with The Verge, I would be all over Nomad’s limited edition Glow 2.0 bands. The comfy, glow-in-the-dark straps aren’t on sale at the moment, but they are available in both the 40mm / 41mm and 45mm/ 49mm sizing for $60, which, frankly, doesn’t happen all that often.
Two words: headphone jack. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Although Apple’s tablet lineup has undergone several shakeups over the last several years, we long considered the ninth-gen iPad to be the best budget iPad you could get. That changed when Apple dropped the price of the 10th-gen iPad to a more sensible $349 and discontinued its entry-level model. But the 2021 iPad remains a perfectly good slate, especially now that the base model with 64GB of storage is down to an all-time low of $229 ($100 off) at Amazon and $229.99 at Best Buy.
As far as hardware is concerned, the ninth-gen iPad is very much a remnant of Apple’s former design language. The 10.2-inch tablet has a traditional iPad look with large bezels, a dedicated home button, and a Lightning port — not to mention a 3.5mm audio jack for using a pair of wired headphones.
Inside, you’ll find Apple’s aging A13 processor, which, despite first appearing in the iPhone 11 in 2019, still offers speedy performance when playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, and tackling all the usual things you might use a tablet for. It’s still beholden to the first-gen Apple Pencil and older accessories like the Smart Keyboard, yes, but given its age and price, it’s an understandable trade-off.
If you’re concerned about support, rest assured that Apple’s last-gen iPad will be compatible with iPadOS 18 when it launches in the fall. It won’t support any of Apple’s forthcoming Apple Intelligence features, though, which require a newer iPad Pro or iPad Air model with an M1 chip or later. I guess the new calculator app will have to do.
Other ways to save today
Now through August 18th, Woot is selling GE’s Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker in refurbished condition for $289.99 ($259 off the cost of a new unit). The standard model on sale here isn’t quite as easy to clean as the step-up Ultra configuration our own Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reviewed last month, but the connected appliance can still produce a staggering 38 pounds of chewable ice a day. Now, whether you intend to schedule it or ask Alexa or Google Assistant to fire it up before your next tiki drink is entirely up to you.
Zendure’s 20W SuperMini Portable Charger is down to just $9.49 (about $51 off) in select colors at Amazon right now, which is easily its best price to date. The travel-ready charger features both USB-C and USB-A outputs, a compact design, and a 10,000mAh battery, which is enough to top off most smartphones at least twice.
If I hadn’t already picked up one of the blurple Apple Watch Sport Bands Nomad recently produced in collaboration with The Verge, I would be all over Nomad’s limited edition Glow 2.0 bands. The comfy, glow-in-the-dark straps aren’t on sale at the moment, but they are available in both the 40mm / 41mm and 45mm/ 49mm sizing for $60, which, frankly, doesn’t happen all that often.