iPad New 4G $679 CHEAPER Than Samsung 8.9

Fancy a swanky iPad 2 on the cheap? Well it can now be yours today for a cut down price of A$439.

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The new cut price for 9.7″ iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi, while the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model is $569 incl. GST.

Aussie customers can pre-order their new iPad today, Apple confirmed in a statement. Tablets are coming down in price fast, so this appears to be Apple response to rival brands gaining share.

This price drop marks a fall from grace for filthy rich Apple who were previously charging $579 for Wi-Fi version and A$679 for Wi-Fi + 3G model.

But Apple’s 9.7″ “new iPad” Wi-Fi model (2048 x 1536 shiny Retina display), with three times faster speeds with A5X processor and quad-core graphics chip, announced today, will cost you $539.

The new tablet also is also spec-ed out with a 5 megapixel iSight camera and 1080p Full HD video recording, to boot.

Pricing for other models include: $649 (32GB) and $759 (64GB).

But if you want an 4G LTE version of “new iPad” it’ll cost you a pretty penny – $679 for the 16GB model.

Read New 4G iPad 3 Heavier Than iPad 2

However, the 4G iPad is cheaper than Samsung’s 4G GALAXY Tab 8.9 which starts off at $720 for 16GB version, announced last week. Apple are charging $789 for 32GB model and $899 for the 64GB.

iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are available from today as free software updates. New iPad apps including iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are also unleashed costing $5.49 a piece from the App Store.

Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available today for $10.49 each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

iPad will be sold through the Apple Store, Apple Authorised Resellers as well as Telstra and JB Hi-Fi.