Prime Big Deal Days runs Oct. 6 and 7, and Amazon’s October Prime Day event is a great time to buy tech — unless you want an iPad. The tablet market has been hit hard by RAMaggedon, the shortage that pushed component costs up everywhere, and Apple’s tablets took a direct hit. Prices went up by $100 to $200 in some cases.
The good news is that iPads are technically on sale now. The bad news is that the savings are tiny. Most iPads are just 5% off, which is barely enough to notice. The bigger discounts come later, but nobody knows how big they will be.
The Price Hike Behind the Sales
Apple raised prices across the board in 2026, and iPads got a particularly rough deal. The company increased prices between $100 and $200 on its tablets, pushing them farther from the record-low prices they had reached earlier.
The timing could not have been worse. RAMaggedon drove up component costs, and Apple’s tablets felt the squeeze. Prices rose just as shoppers started looking for deals ahead of Prime Big Deal Days.
What the Current Discounts Actually Are
Most iPads are technically on sale, but the savings are very small. A 5% discount on a tablet that just went up in price is a minor gesture, not a bargain. The source describes the situation as “majorly lackluster,” which is the kindest way to put it.
“The savings are majorly lackluster, but we do hope prices drop once October Prime Day actually kicks off.”
The phrase “technically on sale” is doing a lot of work here. An iPad at 5% off is still more expensive than it was last year, and shoppers who waited for the event are getting a smaller deal than they expected.
What We Hope Happens on Oct. 6
The source hopes that iPads will drop by $100 to $200 off when the sale actually starts. That would bring them closer to their 2025 prices, which would be a meaningful discount after the hike.
At the very least, the company wants to see iPads reach their 2025 prices. Anything below that would be better, since both models hit record lows before the 2026 price increase.
Here is where the two record lows stand:
- The iPad with A16 chip fell to a record low last Black Friday.
- The iPad Air with M4 chip reached a more recent record low on May 17, 2026.
Those prices happened before the 2026 price increase, so they are not coming back. But the company hopes for something close.
Why the All-Time Low Is Off the Table
Both of those record lows occurred before the 2026 price increase, so the company is not expecting to see sales that good. The hope is for $100 to $200 off, which would at least start to undo the damage.
The company makes this point clearly: the discounts are happening, but the size of them is unknown. The sale is confirmed, the price hike is confirmed, and the small current discounts are confirmed. What is not confirmed is whether the bigger discounts will materialize.
Checking Back on Oct. 6
Once Prime Big Deal Days kicks off, the company plans to update coverage with the latest insights into iPad deals. The advice is simple: wait until Oct. 6 to see what actually happens.
The evidence so far is thin. The current sales are barely worth mentioning, and shoppers who jump now will pay full price for a tablet that was just marked up.
The Verdict on the iPad Sale
The situation is a classic case of bad timing. iPads were hit by RAMaggedon, and then Apple raised prices on top of that. The result is a tablet that costs more than it did last year, with discounts that barely move the needle.
The company’s position is honest: the sales exist, but they are trivial. The hope is for bigger discounts, but the record lows are gone. Shoppers who want a deal should wait until Oct. 6 to see what Amazon offers.
For anyone holding off on a purchase, the message is clear. The sale is real, but the savings are not.
Source material: “Will iPads be on sale during October Prime Day? Heres what we know.,” Mashable.
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