The wait, my friends, is now officially over. The mothership has begun offering Apple Certified Factory Refurbished iPads on the Apple Store. As of this writing, the company’s selling Wi-Fi only models and the standard discount across the board is $50 off the suggested retail price of a new unit.

That said, in addition to free shipping you get a new outer shell and battery, as well as a full (extendable) one-year warranty, all manuals and accessories, and a new white box.

• 16GB iPad Wi-Fi, $449 (499)
— Includes full one-year warranty, as well as all manuals and accessories, a new outer shell and battery, and a new white box
— Free shipping

• 32GB iPad Wi-Fi, $549 (599)
— Includes full one-year warranty, as well as all manuals and accessories, a new outer shell and battery, and a new white box
— Free shipping

• 64GB iPad Wi-Fi, $649 (699)
— Includes full one-year warranty, as well as all manuals and accessories, a new outer shell and battery, and a new white box
— Free shipping

To date, used iPads have been selling from $450 and up on Craig’s List and eBay. Now you can get the full meal deal without the fees, hassles or dodgy operators.

“You can call Apple’s award-winning technical support experts as often as you like and get your questions answered. And, if you need repair service, we offer convenient service options” — iPad Extended AppleCare description

And, yes, if you want to extend AppleCare, you can purchase an additional year for $99 and that includes all-you-can-eat telephone support.

via Charles Moore and Low-End Mac