This is how the dominoes fall ahead of an iPad launch. Or an iPhone launch. Maybe ahead of an iChart launch. A couple weeks before the new new thing goes on the market, the old new thing gets a slash in prices. Best Buy has marked the iPad 2 (“The Deuce”) down fifty bucks. The base model now goes for $449, the 64 gigabyte Wi-Fi+3G iPad has been cut to $779.99. If you haven’t already figured out why, you haven’t been paying attention to all the buzz that the iPad 3 (“The Trey”) is likely coming out next month. So this is the Apple approach as opposed to the RIM PlayBook or the HP TouchPad having price slashes just to move the dang things out of the warehouses.

So go buy one if you want and enjoy the $50 discount, just know that you’re probably going to feel like a sucker when The Trey drops next month.