I wasn't the one doing the market research, but they could have been thinking as developing countries grow economically their people are more likely to buy high

I wasn't the one doing the market research, but they could have been thinking as developing countries grow economically their people are more likely to buy higher end phones. More people buying smart phones = more money in the market. Platforms like iOS have network effects (i.e. App Store). Also people with a $500 iTunes library is less likely to buy another phone. These factors could be ways that make it harder to enter the smart phone market later on as other market players become more entrenched.