On the Apple Q4 conference call, both CFO Peter Oppenheimer and CEO Tim Cook took a moment to defend the iPad’s pricing in response to a question about what they think about comments it’s too high. Not surprisingly, both defended the pricing decision and talked quality.
“When we set out to build the iPad mini, we didn’t set out to build a small, cheap tablet,” Oppenheimer said. Instead, he argued that Apple’s goal was to replicate the high-quality experience of the standard iPad.
“Apple will not make a product that someone may feel good about the moment they’re paying for it, but then when they get home they rarely use it again,” Cook said. “I would encourage you to use an iPad mini and I don’t think that you’ll be using anything other than another iPad after that.”
Cook’s statements were based on the fact that the existing iPad continues to own an outsized portion of tablet browsing usage and other engagement stats. He’s arguing that the iPad mini will likewise be an experience that provides value over a longer term than cheaper Android tablets, suggesting a lot of those make it home but then don’t become a daily use device.
“Customers are very smart, have high expectations and they want a device that can do more,” Cook said. He also addressed the rest of the competition in response to a later question, adding, that “[The iPad mini] is not a compromised product, like the 7-inch tablets. It’s in a whole different league.”
