A few days ago, it was confirmed that Apple would be releasing a new version of its ever-so-popular iPad. Now, Wal-Mart has announced that the Apple iPad 2 will be on sale for the bargain-basement price of $299, leading people to speculate that a new version of the iPad will be on the horizon shortly.

According to Gotta Be Mobile, Wal-Mart's $299 price offering of the iPad is $100 less than what the iPad 2 was originally sold for at the bargain retailer's chain. This deal, however, is only in place for the 16GB iPad 2, and will only be in place for 30 days. But, if you want to get some additional savings, you can trade in your first generation iPad for a new, second-generation iPad. You'll get $100 for it, bringing the grand total of a brand-new iPad 2 for $199.

And, according to MacRumors, the reason that the iPad 2 has become so popular is because both business and student users find the interface to be a lot easier to use than that of, say, the Mini or the earlier generation iPad.

The iPad 2 is the second generation iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It serves primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, news, movies, music, games, presentations and web content. The iPad 2 has a lithium-ion polymer battery that lasts up to 10 hours, a dual core Apple A5 processor and VGA front-facing and 720p rear-facing cameras designed for FaceTime video calling. The device is available initially with three storage sizes, 16, 32 and 64 GB and two varying connectivity options, Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and cellular. Each variation of the device is available with either a black or white front glass panel. However, upon the release of the 3rd generation iPad, only the 16 GB variation with two connectivity options and two front glass panel options is available.