Microsoft will give you $200 for your old boring iPad

Bring in your iPad to a Microsoft store, and get a minimum of US$200 (R2000) in credit. We’re not so sure if this is a desperate move, or a clever sales technique. Either way, you can now grab a Microsoft tablet, commonly known as a Surface, for US$200 (R2000) cheaper at least.

The offer ends 27 October and the gift card trade-in only applies to ex-Apple fans who have an iPad 2, 3 or 4. Only “select” Microsoft stores in Canada and the US will run the offer. Also, the iPad has to come with a power cord. Without it, the Microsoft Store won’t accept your trade-in. Finally, the offer only extends to one gift card per customer.

So what’s the deal then? Is there a Surface tablet that’ll cover the cost of a US$200 gift card? Well yes, there’s one: Surface RT, one of the most talked about but disappointing tablets we’ve ever come across. Microsoft went a bit nuts earlier this year and dropped the price of both Surfaces by US$100 (R1000). So the Surface RT now costs US$349 and Surface Pro, US$799. Of the pair, we’d easily recommend Surface Pro, as its specs are great and has the full Windows 8 desktop experience.

Or perhaps this is all an effort to offload older stock, as according to the rumour mill, Microsoft will release the Surface 2 on 23 September. The Surface 2 is said to have 8GB RAM, the new Haswell CPU and a 1080p display (a fantastic addition that the Surface really needs, as the last screen had a very average 1366×769  display). Surface 2 is also said to have a power cover keyboard, that will supply extra juice to the tablet.

If you’re interested, click on over to the Microsoft Store for further details. Or you could always buy an Xbox instead?