I don't know that it is that sensational, it seems to be more in the vein of stating something obvious that may not be so obvious stateside. Apple's strategy i

I don't know that it is that sensational, it seems to be more in the vein of stating something obvious that may not be so obvious stateside. Apple's strategy is like Tiffany's or BMW's or some companies which sell some sort of couture to the mass market. These are not trying to capture the mainstream of the developing world, but the top 1%. These are premium, luxury brands, and their sales actually benefit from the higher price because of the reasons that people choose their product. If Armani starts moving a lot of $3 boxers, or BMW starts selling $8k capsule cars, it won't help them. This isn't purely about profit, of course there is lots of money to make on volume. Rather - without the prestige these companies lose a ton of competitive advantage that they have carved out for themselves.