Apple is clearing out its existing stock of third generation iPad tablets via its outlet store, with the price of the most affordable iPad, the 16GB Wi-Fi-only version, starting from £315 including delivery. That’s a saving of 21 per cent or £84 off the original price.

Other so-called iPad 3 tablets are also on the way out: the 32GB Wi-Fi-only version is on sale for £369 (22 per cent or £110 saving), the 16GB 3G version runs £415 (a 16 per cent or £84 discount), the 64GB Wi-Fi model is available for £439 (21 per cent or £120 discount). As for the 32GB 3G and 64GB 3G versions, they sell for £469 and £539 respectively. That’s a saving of 18 per cent (£110) and 18 per cent (£120) respectively.

The third generation iPad was launched in March 2012 and has sold several million units. It has a 9.7in Retina display (with a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel resolution), a dual-core A5X system-on-chip, Bluetooth 4.0, a 5-megapixel camera, 10 hours of battery life, FaceTime camera, and HD video recording.

Its successor, the iPad 4, comes with a new system-on-chip, the A6X which is twice as fast as the A5X. There’s also a new baseband modem which is compatible with EE’s 4G network.