Price

128GB iPad 4 to start at $799

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 28, 2013

A brand new SKU (Stock-Keeping Unit) in the full-size iPad lineup that one blog obtained from retail sources suggested that Apple's readying to add a new top-of-the-line fourth-generation iPad model with 128 gigabytes of storage. The development corroborates an earlier finding of code hooks in iTunes 11 and iOS 6.1 that points to the new 128GB full-size iPad model. And now, the same publication that leaked the 128GB SKU claims to have pinpointed the prices for this "Ultimate" iPad model...

Budget iPhone: the augur of a new era of lower Apple margins

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

What should the rumored budget iPhone cost and how low could Apple price it without sacrificing its industry-leading profits? Jean-Louis Gassée, a former executive at Apple, where he worked from 1981 to 1990, ran some numbers on his Monday Note blog to try and make sense of the idea. The crux: there's no way Apple could make a compelling, inexpensive device sporting today's hardware encased in a less exquisite (dare I say, plasticky?) body without sacrificing its powerful margins.

Should the Cupertino, California company in fact pursue the low-cost iPhone, the move will be remembered as the augur of a new era of lower Apple margins and as such likely signals a new brutal phase in the Smartphone Wars...

Microsoft announces pricing for Intel-powered Surface Pro

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When Microsoft unveiled the Surface, its first in-house foray into the tablet market, back in June, it said that it would consist of two versions: a lower-end RT model built on ARM's architecture, and a Pro model powered by Intel.

The RT version officially launched in October, in 32GB and 64GB flavors priced at $499 and $699 respectively, and has thus far seen modest sales. And last night, Microsoft finally divulged some information about the Surface Pro...

Claimed unlocked iPhone 5 prices show up on Apple’s website

Cody Lee ∙ November 5, 2012

While Apple offers unlocked iPhone 5s in Canada and other countries, it has yet to give buyers inside the US that option. So unless you go through a third party vendor, you can't get an unlocked iPhone 5 here in the States.

That could be changing in the near future though. Purported prices for unlocked versions of the new handset have been discovered hidden on Apple's US website, which could mean that they're preparing to roll them out...

Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer defend iPad mini pricing

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 20, 2017

You had to know this was coming: during the Q&A portion of Apple's conference call yesterday, analysts grilled Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer about the higher-than-expected pricing on the iPad mini.

As you would expect, the two defended the tablet's $329 price tag, stating that they didn't want to build a small, cheap tablet. "iPad mini is a fantastic product; it's not a compromise like the other 7-inch tablets."

Low touch screen yields blamed for the iPad mini’s price tag

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 25, 2012

With so many people seemingly disappointed that the iPad mini starts at $329 rather than $249 or even $199, we polled you ahead of the announcement on the price and only seven percent thought only Apple could get away with pricing the device at $329. And yesterday, in another poll more than forty percent said they would be getting one (more than half would opt for the entry-level WiFi-only model).

No question some people will go for a Nexus 7 or Amazon's Kindle Fire because not everyone can afford a $300+ tablet. But why exactly Apple didn't make a sub-$300 iPad? According to supply chain sources, low yields for touch screens are to blame...

Poll: do you plan on getting an iPad mini?

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

Pundits were flabbergasted when Apple didn't price the iPad mini at $199 to go for the kill. At $329, the iPad mini is a $130 more than seven-inch tablets from Google and Amazon, both starting at just $199. Furthermore, Amazon's 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD with a higher-resolution display than the iPad mini is still thirty bucks cheaper than Apple's gizmo.

On the other hand, Apple is good at these things and it's outrages to assume the company somehow got the price wrong. Analysts are convinced the $329 iPad mini is an absolute homerun. Certainly the device does appear to protect Apple's price umbrella by making the iPad more enticing to budget shoppers while forcing rivals to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Taking it all in, would you buy an iPad mini at Apple's current price points?

Phil Schiller talks iPad mini price: people pay for quality

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

I have long insisted that Android people (lots of them, but not all) aren't accustomed to pay for quality because Google envision Android as an ad-supported ecosystem, an extension of its business philosophy on the web. Some Apple fans were taken aback when Apple priced the iPad mini at $329 rather than $249 or even $199. While analysts believe the current price defends the iPad ecosystem from above and have no doubt the gizmo will be a smash hit, Apple's head honcho of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller went on the record to defend the iPad mini's price tag, here's what came out of him...

iPad mini pricing and availability

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Well it's finally happened folks. After years of speculation and anticipation, Apple has announced the iPad mini. As expected, it has a 7.9-inch display, front and back cameras, and an LTE option.

Phil Schiller just announced that pre-orders for the tablet start this Friday, October 26th. And the Wi-Fi only versions will start shipping November 2nd, and + cellular models a week later.

So what's Apple going to charge for this thing?

iPad mini pricing said to start at $329 in the US

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

As Apple's October 23 media event inches closer, pieces regarding what the company may announce are starting to fall into place. The company is expected to unveil a slew of new and refreshed products, including an "iPad mini."

Not much is known about the smaller tablet, outside of what it may or may not look like and what sounds like a November 2nd release date. But a new report is out today that claims to fill in at least one important blank: pricing...

Surface pricing revealed, 32GB base model to start at $499

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

As Microsoft is gearing up to launch its highly-anticipated Surface tablet next Friday, October 26 (just three days following Apple's iPad mini keynote), the company began teasing the public with the first Surface commercial Cody told you about. And now, the Windows maker has officially revealed price points for the tablet: the ARM-based entry-level Surface RT will start at $499 for the 32GB model, the same asking price for Apple's third-generation iPad with sixteen gigabytes of storage...

Alleged iPad mini prices leak

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2012

According to a purported screenshot claiming to be from an internal system of a German retailer, the iPad mini could cost anywhere between €249 for the entry-level model to €649 for the top of the line model. This translates to $320 for the base model and $840 for the flagship one, although U.S. prices are likely to be lower because gadgets in Europe typically cost more due to a higher cost of doing business on the continent. In total, eight different models are said to be on offer...