The original iPad
My iPad is 11 month honest-to-goodness , give or take a week or two . I got it when the tablet first went on sales event on April 3 , 2010 . If I take a thick whiff , I can still pick up the faint trace of that new iPad smelling .
And yet , when the iPad 2 arrives this Friday , I ’m dropping my beloved original iPad like a bad habit in favor of Apple ’s shiny Modern gadget .
The original iPad
Still , while the iPad 2 ’s launching this week will charge my first iPad to the wastebin of history , that does n’t mean I desire to toss a still perfectly functional pad of paper into an literal dustbin . And I imagine other other iPad adoptive parent ineffective to refuse the siren call of the iPad 2 — it sounds like Steve Jobs whistling — find themselves in the same sauceboat .
Fortunately , we ’ve got options . If your exuberance for upgrading to the latest iPad has been tempered by your uncertainness over what to do with the current model , here are a few mode to make certain your first tablet still gets put to well function somewhere .
Give it away
This is my wife ’s favorite pick when I raise . The iPod mite and Kindle 2 she presently enjoys began their check in the Friedman household as my gimmick — when new models came along , she have the honest-to-goodness - though - still - utile forerunner . And the original iPad could be the late in the long line of techie script - me - downs that I will to her now that something new and shiny has hail along . Perhaps your crime syndicate has a similar transcription .
But while charity may start at place , it does n’t have to end there . Organizations likeRecycling for Charitiesand iOS developer Steve Glinberg’siPhone / iPod touch Recycling Programwill take your onetime iPad and detect a novel dwelling house for it . A representative for a third brass , Computers With Causes , toldMacworldthat iPads donated through that Website will be given to kinsperson or individual in motive . The HollyRod Foundationalso accepts donate iPads , chip in the tablets to particular motivation tyke and their families to help them communicate better . And Apple has updated itsretail store entanglement pageto note that you may donate your old iPad at an Apple Store toTeach For America ; your iPad will chance its way to a instructor in a scurvy - income community .
With the iPad taking on a larger role in the classroom , many schools would certainly not turn up their nose at a donated iPad in good condition . A few home organisation — we’re thinking ofPC Rebuilders & Recyclers ’s Computers For Schools program — will take donated iPads to get them into schools . Your best bet , though , may be to see if there are any local governance in your surface area that collect technology donations . Many res publica - base non - profit system that accept computer donations for schools will also accept iPads , but you may well be the first person to suggest the thought to them .
If you’re an avid reader, that old iPad could become a dedicated e-reading device once you get your hands on an iPad 2.
If you do donate your iPad , you ’ll want to get a reception . You or your taxation preparer can determine whether you ’ll be capable todeductthe fair marketplace value of your donated iPad from your 2011 taxes next twelvemonth .
Sell, sell, sell
If your look about your one-time iPad are more capitalist than altruistic , commit that older tablet up for cut-rate sale is always an option . Be warned though that a lot like - minded iPad owners may also be flocking to eBay and Craigslist with whirl of their own , which could affect the amount of cash you ’re likely to get from would - be buyers . Further undercut your plan to recoup some of the money you spent on that original iPad is no less a figure than Apple itself — the troupe is offer its ownclearance prices on iPadsto make way for the Modern models .
You could always bypass the consumer and go directly to the interlocutor . Resellers likeGazellewill buy your old iPad — the company ’s Website quote me $ 300 for my original 16 GB Wi - Fi iPad , which is n’t too shabby . Other company that offer a similar buyback service includeBuyMyTronics.com , NextWorth , andYouRenew.com — all offered me at least $ 250 . You ’ll get more hard cash for your iPad if it ’s in honorable physical stipulation ( scratch - free ) , put up the original power cable , and have the original box .
Retailer Target is also interested in taking that old iPad off your workforce . The company ’s Electronics Trade - In Service permit shoppers make for in new or used iPads — as well as iPhones , cell phones , iPods , and video recording games — and turn them in for credit on other Target purchases . The retail merchant says you’re able to get up to $ 200 in entrepot credit depending on the precondition of your item — that could go a long way toward paying down the toll of an iPad 2 , which Target will propose . Currently useable in 850 Target stores , the Electronics Trade - In Service will enlarge to 1450 stores by July .
Before you hand over that iPad…
Whether you give away your iPad or deal it , you ’ll likely want to pass over it first to prevent others from accessing your personal information or Angry Birds gamey scores . To do so , launch the preferences app and tap on General . Then , choose Reset . Take a mystifying breathing space , and then tap Erase All Content and preferences . Your iPad will re-start and lead off up as naked as the day you first multitouched it .
A new life for old iPads
Of naturally , just because you ’re camping out in front of your favorite Apple Store so that you could be first in line of business to corrupt an iPad 2 , you do n’t need to part way with your original iPad at all . With a minimal amount of crusade , you’re able to turn that iPad into a more singularly - focused technology equipment .
If you ’re an zealous reader , that old iPad could become a consecrated tocopherol - reading equipment once you get your hands on an iPad 2 .
For example , why sprain to Amazon ’s Kindle if you could convert that old iPad into a dedicated due east - reader ? Just equip that old iPad with the reading app of your option — whether it ’s the Kindle app , Apple ’s iBooks , or any of the other iPad e - reading apps available for download — and clear out your e - ring armour scope , games , and any push notifications to make the recital environment as distraction - free as potential .
Other option include propping up your iPad with the lock screen ’s make - in pic screensaver to make a fancy ( if pricy ) digital exposure frame . Alternatively , use an app like iRule to turn your iPad into an outsized , hard - to - turn a loss universal remote control condition . With an app like TouchPad , you could create a virtual Magic Trackpad of sort . And you could even enlist your old iPad as an external monitor lizard , using Air Display .
We ’ll likely provide more detailed instruction on these and other original iPad - centric projects in the do week . After all , we ’re just getting used to the idea that a twist that was Apple ’s latest and greatest tablet a few day ago will before long have its place seize by the iPad 2 . The point is , that now - seemingly ancient original iPad still has plenty of liveliness left in it — whether it ’s performing a novel task or serving as someone else ’s tablet .
update on March 11 to note that Apple Stores are accepting iPad donations for Edward Teach For America .
