Just buy the $249 iPad on Black Friday because all other tablets are trash

The current 10.2-inch iPad 7 is the best value in tech today. And, on Black Friday, it's even more unbelievable better.

Stay with me here. Apple did something extraordinarily un-Apple-like a couple of years ago — they brought back the original iPad Air, updated it, and set the sticker price at $329. Not $499 like every 9.7-inch iPad since the first. Not even $399. But $329. Like, affordably $329.

Best deal in tech

10.2-inch iPad 7

$249 at Amazon (was $329)

The best tablet for almost everyone

The new entry-level iPad has everything last year's had, plus a bigger 10.2-inch display, and optional gigabit LTE and Smart Keyboard support. It's the better best deal in tech.

Last year, in March, they added Apple Pencil support. This year, just this past September, they added Smart Keyboard support and bumped the screen size up to 10.2-inches.

So, for most people, most of the time, it's simply the best damn iPad to get, because price.

Now, I'll keep it real with you. In order to get the price down, the features are down as well. For most people, that won't matter at all. Like at. all. But you should know all the details upfront.

The screen is smaller than the iPad Air 3 — 10.2-inches instead of 10.5-inches. It's also standard rather than wide color gamut and lacks the lamination and anti-reflective coating that cut down on glare. No True Tone ambient color cast matching either, so whites don't look so consistently paper-white when under florescent or incandescent like.

It also has an older, A10 Fusion processor and 2 GB of memory, same as the iPhone 7 instead of the A12 Bionic and 3 GB, same as the iPhone XS, found in the iPad Air 3.

It still has the Home button and Touch ID fingerprint biometrics, though, and two stereo speakers. Also a 1.2 megapixel, 720p front-facing camera, and an 8 megapixel, standard color, f/2.4, also 1080p rear camera. Which are, you know, cameras.

You can get it in silver, space gray, or gold, with 32 or 128GB of storage, and with just Wi-Fi or with Wi-Fi and cellular.

And, it's compatible with the 1st generation Apple Pencil and Logitech Crayon, so you can draw, take notes, and otherwise let your inner artist and productivity guru loose.

It also not supports the original Apple Smart Keyboard, which I actually still prefer to the second generation model. The keys don't fold over onto the back and feel like bubble wrap I want to continuously pop while holding and watching videos or gaming.

The best feature by far, though — the one that makes up for every single spec the 10.2-inch iPad is missing out on and then some — is the price. Sure, if you need more, get more. But most people don't. And, at $329 the 10.2-inch iPad was the best deal in tech. But, at the current Black Friday price of just $249? That's not just a deal. That's a steal.

Even if you don't use or like Apple products, no one else, not Google, not Samsung, not Amazon — not anyone — has any hardware or software library that can compete with the iPad at any price, much less at such a low, low, price. Go ahead, @me.

Then get them for your kids, your significant other, your parents — get one of yourself for the second home or the back of the car or whatever.

Just get them before they're gone.