Get an iPad Air (32GB) for $379 shipped
Surprisingly, this is new, not refurbished, and it's not a measly 16GB model, either.
It probably goes without saying that I have mixed feelings about the Apple iPad.
On the one hand, it's awesome. The styling and design, the user interface, the huge variety of accessories -- it all adds up to what I consider the single best tablet experience you can have.
On the other hand, iPads remain crazy-expensive, especially when you compare them with competing tablets. I mean, $500 for an iPad with just 16GB of storage?! No, thank you.
Today, however, there's a more reasonable option: DailySteals has the Apple iPad Air (32GB + Wi-Fi) for $379 shipped. It's available in black/gray or silver/white. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this deal: It's new, not refurbished.
Update (2/4/15): Several readers have reported receiving iPads that are clearly refurbished. This despite a promo page that continues to list the product as "New," with a full one-year warranty. The only conflicting bit of information is the "white box" packaging designation. I have reached out to DailySteals for clarification and will update the post with additional details as I get them.
Update (2/5/15): According to a DailySteals rep, the "majority" of the iPad Airs shipped were new, but "our supplier mistakenly shipped a number of refurbished iPads with generic accessories." If you received one of these, you are urged to contact sales@dailysteals.com as soon as possible to arrange for a return and refund.
Typically, to score any kind of iPad savings (outside of Apple's own Clearance store, that is), you have to accept a refurb model with a 90-day warranty. This one is new. Plus, it has 32GB of storage, not a paltry 16GB (which, let's face it, just isn't enough.) All for a price that's on par with what you'd pay for Amazon's Kindle Fire 8.9. Actually, the 32GB model currently sells for $399.
Obviously this is the original Air, not the newer Air 2 . But all you're really missing is the Touch ID sensor and an ever-so-slightly slimmer design. (A slightly faster processor and higher-resolution cameras are not, in my humble opinion, a big deal in a tablet.)
If it feels like I'm reaching a bit, it's because I think this is going to be the year tablets start to take serious market share from laptops. Pair this with a keyboard and you've got the majority of your computing bases covered: Web, email, Facebook, word processing and, most important of all, Trivia Crack.
Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Well, okay, sometimes you need desktop software, especially for tasks relating to photos and video. Like, for example, editing a telephone pole or photo-bomber from your otherwise awesome snapshot. Today only, Giveaway of the Day has image-reconstruction utility Inpaint 6.0 (Win) for free. Among other things, it can auto-magically remove unwanted people and objects from your photos. On any other day it would cost you $20.