Qualify for Sprint's bonkers deal and take 78% off the new 10.2-inch Apple iPad

The seventh-generation Apple iPad with 32GB of storage is available from Sprint for just 24 monthly payments of $4.17 ($99.99 total price). That is a huge 78% discount from the 24 monthly payments of $19.17 ($459.99 total price) that you would normally pay for the tablet. Is there a catch you ask? Of course there is. To qualify for this deal, you must agree to pay for the tablet using a 24-month installment billing agreement and add a new line on a qualifying plan. Well, you might be saying to yourself that this is no problem. After all, you can open a new plan for the iPad. But as William S. might have said, here's the rub. There must be one active handset on the account.

Still, if you do qualify, this is certainly a great deal. Keep in mind that Sprint's website shows that the tablet will ship sometime between October 4th and October 10th. In case you've forgotten, the screen is now 10.2-inches, up from the traditional 9.7-inch displays found on past iPad models. And if you like to buy accessories, there is support for the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. The slate is powered by the A10 Fusion chip, the same SoC found inside 2016's iPhone 7 series, and it will come out of the box with iPadOS pre-installed. Apple's new iOS-based dedicated tablet operating system will allow more app icons on the home screen, let users swipe to type, provide a Dark mode for those with sensitive eyes, and defaults to desktop sites on Safari. Apple says that the battery has enough juice for up to 10 hours of use, and the camera combo weighs in at 8MP on the back and 1.2MP for the FaceTime camera in the front. Touch ID is included and there are stereo speakers.

This is the cellular version of the new iPad, ready to run on Sprint's nationwide 4G LTE network. Color options are Silver, Gold and Space Gray. If you do take Sprint up on this deal, be prepared to cough up the sales tax on the retail value of the device upfront.