Out with the old, in with the new: Just as Apple posted their extensive iPad 2 information on the website after the announcement Wednesday, the price of the first-generation model got a steep discount, with each model slashed by $100 -- or more, if you don’t mind going refurbished.

MacRumors is reporting that Apple is having a fire sale on the original iPad, available through a special clearance page on the company’s online store. If you’ve been on the fence about joining the iPad revolution and the price has been a barrier, this should go a long way toward making a decision, especially since last year’s model will get a nice infusion of iOS 4.3 goodness next Friday, March 11 when the new model ships.

“Each model has been reduced by $100, bringing the price for the entry level 16 GB Wi-Fi-only iPad to $399 and the most expensive 64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G model down to $729 from its original price of $829,” MacRumors notes.

If you’d like to save even more, a refurbished iPad is an even better deal, with the base 16GB Wi-Fi model coming in at a mere $349 and maxing out at $659 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G version -- that’s nearly $200 off the original price of the top-tier model.

Of course, the real question now is whether or not to save your pennies for some of the iPad 2 goodness instead -- after all, you have just over a week to fill the piggy bank in order to get a model with two cameras, twice the speed and nine times the graphics performance of the first model.

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