> But then Apple is still drowning in cash and immediate term savings really aren't much of a motivator.
Why would you think so? Apple is a for profit company. Apple consistently makes more than 35% or so in margins. Why wouldn’t it make sense to increase that wherever possible (to increase profits or offset some discounted pricing it’s offering elsewhere, like a free one year subscription to Apple TV+ on purchasing a new device)? Also consider the impact of COVID-19 for the next one year or so.
That could be because of cheaper production costs or because Apple has seen iPad sales dropping and traded some of its margins to sell them at lower prices. As a for profit company with very good margins, it only makes sense that Apple would continue to maximize that and not let it slip a lot, even if the gains may seem minimal to an outsider. It’s also the same reason why Apple continues to sell Macs at the same price a at launch time even years later without any hardware updates, even though Macs are a small percentage of its total revenues.
Why would you think so? Apple is a for profit company. Apple consistently makes more than 35% or so in margins. Why wouldn’t it make sense to increase that wherever possible (to increase profits or offset some discounted pricing it’s offering elsewhere, like a free one year subscription to Apple TV+ on purchasing a new device)? Also consider the impact of COVID-19 for the next one year or so.