New iPad on sale Friday, but is old iPad a better buy?

Apple’s new iPad is guaranteed to fly off store shelves
when it goes on sale Friday. But before you race out to
get the latest and greatest, some experts advise an older
model iPad is more than enough and can save you hundreds
of dollars to boot.

“For people who plan to use a tablet primarily for surfing
the internet or checking email, the
first generation or iPad 2 are great,” says columnist Ron
Schenone with tech blog LockerGnome.

Schenone says Apple’s price cuts make the iPad 2 in
particular an excellent buy. And he highly recommends
budget conscious tablet seekers check out refurbished
models, iPads that have been returned for some reason and
reconditioned by the company.

“They come with new cases and new screens and Apple does a
fantastic job recertifying the products,” Schenone says.

While the new iPad starts at $499, Apple is currently
offering the 16 GB iPad 2 for $399, $349 for a refurbished
model and the original 16 GB iPad for $299.

Schenone thinks first time tablet buyers who’ve ruled out
Apple because of price should reconsider as well,
especially if they’re looking at a less expensive device
like the Barnes and Noble Nook or Kindle Fire.

“The Kindle Fire is an excellent tablet but it’s limited
compared to the Apple products,” Schenone says. He says
even the original iPad provides a much smoother browsing
experience than the Fire, which he uses primarily for
email and reading.

Schenone admits despite his own frugality, he’s getting a
new iPad as soon as he can because of its dramatically
improved high definition screen, faster processor and
higher resolution camera.

But he says he’s still more than satisfied with his older
iPads, and couldn’t resist ordering another iPad 2 at it’s
marked down discount from Apple. And he says there’ll be
even bigger deals available on Amazon and eBay as Apple
enthusiasts dump their older models for the latest and
greatest.