When Apple announced their iPad mini pricing yesterday, many people were surprised – lots of people believed they would see a $200-300 price tag, and a wave of disappointment surged across the internet. But as we noted earlier today, Apple’s pricing really isn’t that outlandish.
Apple’s marketing VP Phil Schiller agrees, and has gone to bat to defend Apple’s pricing decision for the new tablet. Speaking to Reuters, Schiller stated:
The iPad is far and away the most successful product in its category. The most affordable product we’ve made so far was $399 and people were choosing that over those devices. And now you can get a device that’s even more affordable at $329 in this great new form, and I think a lot of customers are going to be very excited about that.
He has an excellent point. The iPad mini doesn’t have to be available for $200 – the fact that it’s significantly cheaper than Apple’s previous offerings (and more portable) is enough for people to flock to stores to buy one.
There’s also a significant point to be made about quality: None of the competing 7-inch tablets feature the quality of materials or workmanship found in the iPad – and the iPad mini also has significantly more screen space than the nearest rival, as Apple demoed in their keynote yesterday (image via The Verge)
All in all, I tend to agree with Schiller’s comments. Amazon is losing money on their $200 Kindle Fire HD. The iPad mini is made of much nicer materials, has access to more apps, and is overall a much higher quality product. Surely that’s worth something.
