More iPad Cost Estimates Show Room for Price Cut
The mid-range iPad 3G to be the biggest money maker.
iSuppli, the firm that loves to do teardowns of new gadgets to find out just how much they cost to put together, last week revealed its estimates for the Apple iPad.
The firm found that the lowest-end iPad will cost Apple $219.35 in total materials and $10 in manufacturing costs, equalling a $229.35 total for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model. While Apple is expected to be getting more than double that back from the $499 price tag, the most profitable model is the mid-priced 32 GB iPad with 3G wireless capability, which will contain $275.95 worth of components and other materials and cost $11.20 to manufacture, iSuppli estimates. This will retail for $729 in stores.
Keep in mind that these are present-day estimates without exposure to actual hardware, but it certainly shows that there's a comfortable buffer (even after R&D and other overhead costs) for Apple to drop price.
In fact, the Wall Street Journal noted that Apple expressed intentions that it plans to remain "nimble" on iPad pricing (read: price drops if the competition heats up or there is lesser-than-expected demand).

... yes? Go on?
... yes? Go on?
planning and developing with the Ipad. They had to come up with a new Chip " A1". They had to
research what size and style screen, they had to develope display formats and styles amongst other
things. They have spent alot of time R&D the Ipad don't kid yourself.
wow. just plain sloppy.
Now I own an iPhone, and I will be the first to say I really enjoy it..as a phone, but it is a phone operating system, and I don't see how the same OS is viable for a tablet or any type of serious computing. Absolutely no multitasking capabilities.
And they did, with the iphone.
+1^
No, it can't.
It's just a sucker pad with low specs...
Job and media talk so much about that SUPER POOR PAD, my ears are about to fall down.