[IxDA Discuss] the new iPod

[Nasir Barday]

They probably set the price high to put it just within range for early
adopters, who would shake it out a bit and provide early feedback/free beta
testing. Then Apple could put out the software update (v1.01) and lower the
price to $399, so more of the mainstream could get a piece. If everyone had
gotten their hands on it, as would have happened at this lower price point,
the iPhone wouldn't have had its initial novelty status and its
early-adopter-apologist initial user base that could tolerate bugs in the .0
release, and the launch would have been lackluster.

My conspiracy theory, anyway ...

- Nasir