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Home / News / IMHO – an iPad costs more than you think

IMHO – an iPad costs more than you think

How much is an iPad? If you said ‘starting from $499’, put on the pointy hat and go and sit in the corner. Apple’s entry-level tablet may say $499 on

How much is an iPad? If you said ‘starting from $499′, put on the pointy hat and go and sit in the corner. Apple’s entry-level tablet may say $499 on the price tag, but that’s just the start of it. The real money-spinner is the App Store.

Let’s say the average iPhone user has spent £20 on apps. That’s not a figure we’ve picked out of thin air – it’s what survey data suggest. Now let’s say Apple has made £6 out of that, because Apple takes 30 per cent of every app sale. It’s not much, is it?

Many iPhone apps were, or are, free. The ones you pay for usually cost less than a drink. In this way Apple and app developers have lured us toward habitual app downloads. And we flocked like electronic sheep.

But the iPad is set to make the iPhone look like an app amateur, with more power, speed and screen. And, oh yes, higher prices. The luring has been done, and developers want to get paid. So does Apple.

So you can expect the amount you spend on apps for your future iPad to double, probably treble. Perhaps more. Partly because they cost more, and partly because you’ll want more of them.

There could be a backlash of jailbreaking and app piracy, but you can bet Apple will fight that with all it’s got. More likely, your iPad will end up costing a lot more than you bargained for.

Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home