Apple's sellling gadgets like the iPad on price as much as on features

 When Apple unveils the next version of the iPad on Wednesday, the tech world will be focused on its new features.

But don't let the bright and shiny new gadget distract you from a bigger story: The company known for premium prices has very quietly been driving down the price of its products.
And if Apple continues to pull off this trick without sacrificing profits, competitors are going to have an even harder time catching up to the Cupertino company in the smartphone and tablet markets.
What crystallized this for me was a note published Monday by Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Bernstein Research. He talked to several Apple executives, including Tim Cook, the acting CEO. Sacconaghi quoted Cook as saying he didn't want Apple products to be "just for the rich." And Cook said the company was spending a lot of time trying to understand the Chinese phone market, where he noted most customers still use the low-cost method of prepaying for phone services.
Cook didn't officially confirm the company was developing a low-cost phone. But his remarks all but signaled Apple's move in that direction.