Good question. Everybody knows Apple likes charging way too much for its products. That’s been the company’s MO since day one.

But the new iPad is VERY cheap for an Apple product.

It’ll retail for just $329 for the base model, a far cry from the prices of iPads from previous years.

So what gives? Why is THIS iPad so cheap?

Something About Education… And iPads?

Apple’s recent event was all about education; or, more simply: how it wants to help kids learn stuff using its products.

It’s a nice idea. But it is also a business angle as well; locking down schools to iPads equals years of steady income. Just ask any company that has pulled something similar off.

Is The “New” iPad All That “New”?

In a word, no…

There are two – that’s right: two – new features in this year’s iPad release:

#1 – support for the Apple Pencil #2 – the A10 Fusion CPU

Everything else is EXACTLY the same as it was on the new iPad’s predecessor.

And while this is mostly OK, the outgoing iPad was a very good tablet, as all iPad tablets are, it does kind of explain why this iPad is so cheap.

It’s cheap because it is more or less the same as the previous one.

In this respect, it’s a bit like buying a car and then, after 12 months of driving it, attempting to sell it for the exact amount you paid for it.

If you can get away with this, good for you. But most won’t tolerate it.

Still, Apple plays to its own tune. And the new education angle will almost certainly help it flog a few million of these “new” tablets.

New iPad Specs:

• 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29 inches; 1.03 pounds
• 9.7-inch display; 2048 x 1536 resolution
• Oleophobic coating, but not laminated
• Apple Pencil support
• Apple A10 Fusion processor
• 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.2-megapixel front camera
• First-gen Touch ID home button
• No support for Smart Connector
• Two stereo speakers, located at the bottom
• $329 for 32GB Wi-Fi model
• $100 extra for 128GB of storage
• $130 extra for LTE version

Better Than A Chromebook?

Apple designed this iPad for use in schools. And the reason for this is that Google’s Chromebooks are becoming very popular.

Chromebooks are popular because they’re cheap and they pack in a TON of functionality.

They’re basically laptops, but they just cost around a quarter of the price. And they run on ChromeOS and you can load Android apps on them.

I’ve never really been able to get any real work done on an iPad. For that, you’ll need the iPad Pro, with all its bells and whistles.

You might be different. And if you are, the iPad – which is still the best product in its class – is now more accessible than ever.

I just find the entire device completely boring.

And if I exactly wanted one of these devices to do actual work on there really is only one game in town: Apple’s iPad Pro – and that is WAY more expensive.

And I think this is the entire point of the new iPad: it kind of pushes you towards the iPad Pro.

And when all roads lead to Apple…

Apple wins.