Renting your apartment could come with a free iPad

How hot is Apple's iPad? Hot enough to use as a promotional tool for everything from buying a new car to renting a new apartment. In Portland, Oregon, while searching for a new place to call home, I came across several ads for apartments touting all the normal amenities, showing pictures of their fabulous views, and describing their "perfect" location. But, in the last couple weeks, something new has appeared on these listings.

Apple's iPad has broken through retail barriers and now resides in the lofty "promotional device" space as evidenced by this recent post on Craigslist Portland:

With the increasing popularity of Apple's iPad, I would imagine more retailers would start to use it as a potential closing incentive. Car dealerships are another example of where iPads have been spotted as promotional tools to get customers in the seats of new automobiles.

An interesting side note on this, Mercedes-Benz has reportedly (subscription required) sent iPads to 40 dealerships, hoping to increase sales by processing sales and leases on Apple's (business) tablet device. The Mercedes-Benz iPad App is designed to keep customers in cars as much as possible, foregoing the back and forth from sales offices. AppleInsider has more on the Wall Street Journal report here.

Would an offer of an iPad convince you to make a purchase you might otherwise turn down? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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