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Starting today, Apple will no longer sell the iPad 2. Even though the iPad 2 launched in early 2011, Apple has kept it around at a lower price. When Apple started selling the current iPad Air last fall, it still sold the iPad 2 starting at $399. Now, Apple will sell the iPad with Retina display, commonly referred to as the "iPad 4" because it was the fourth generation of the product, starting at $399. (The iPad 2 did not have the super-sharp Retina display.)

An upgrade to a product line usually brings bargains for the older models, and some iPad shoppers are watching for the iPad 2 deals to break. But you don't have to wait until the third-generation iPad ships on March 16 find a deal on an iPad 2. Major national retailers, including Apple itself, have already slashed prices on last year's Apple tablet. Apple recently implemented the new pricing and other retailers quickly followed suit, but not every retailer has jumped on the iPad 2 price cut bandwagon. Here's where you can snap up Apple's 2011 iPad for less than its...

Apple said in a statement on Friday that it is looking into connectivity issues with the Verizon network that owners of the iPad 2 3G are experiencing. A growing number of users report having trouble connecting to the Verizon data network with their iPad 2 3Gs, especially after turning 3G service off and back on. A support thread regarding the issue on Apple's discussion forums has drawn more than 80 replies. An Apple spokesperson confirmed the issue to All Things Digital on Friday. “We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the...

Consumer Reports’ press release follows, verbatim: After almost a year in which the Apple iPad has been virtually the only game in town in tablet computers, some serious competitors are finally hitting the market. Yet in Consumer Reports latest tests of the 10 most-promising tablet computers, the Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G topped the Ratings. The full report including Ratings of tablets is available at Consumer Reports’ website. In Consumer Reports lab tests, the Motorola Xoom revealed itself as the iPad 2′s chief rival. Like the iPad 2, the Xoom boasts a 10-inch screen but adds conveniences that...

Several Apple customers who have purchased the newest iPad 2 device are reporting certain hardware issues that are not new to Apple products released in the recent past. According to Engadget, several users have reported that the device's backlight is 'leaking', meaning that light from the device is 'bleeding' into the device's display from some parts of the LCD screens. The defect is noticeable when users are watching a dark scene in a movie or when using an app that has a black background. Another defect that has come to the notice of keen-eyed Apple users is the appearance of...

Many stores reportedly sold out of the Apple iPad 2 during its first weekend of availability, but given the demand, more of Apple's new tablets are sure to be available soon. Based on Consumer Reports' preliminary tests with iPad 2 samples in our labs, we found the new version to be an improvement over the original iPad—without any increase in price. One major difference in tech specs is that the iPad 2 has a new processor that's supposed to make it far speedier than the original. While performing routine tasks such as Web browsing and e-mail in our tests, we...