If you’ve been waiting for a new iPad, and you don’t want to spend more for the shiny model, you definitely won’t want to spend more for the same.
The arrival of new iPads this week was a like bit of a surprise: we knew it was coming, and the rumours were certainly there, but we didn’t know exactly which day they’d be landing, or even what price they’d be.
That last point was especially interesting, because even though Apple has a new iPad at a higher price point, it has also taken the unusual step of keeping an older model in the line-up and yet also raising its price.
You might have missed that point, but the still excellent 9th-gen iPad from last year is actually getting more expensive, jumping from its $499 price with a $50 increase, now set to cost $549, and nothing has changed.
Yes, there’s a new iPad with flat edges that looks a lot like the iPad Air, but that model will cost at least $200 more, priced from $749. Rather, the 9th-gen iPad will cost $549 from October 27, which essentially means you may have one week before stores flip the switch and price those 9th-gen models a little higher.
Only one retailer we’ve seen has raised the price, with JB HiFi touting the new $549 price for the same model, while Amazon is quoting prices from $479, Officeworks from $497, and Harvey Norman from $499.
But you can expect it to happen, and some time between now and October 27, there’s a good chance that even older stock of the iPad 9th-gen will get a price hike, because that’s what’s happening.
