Agreed
I have to say that I also thought the margin analysis in the article was sketchy. If Apple could take a hit on pricing and undercut other vendors because they have a direct sales model, why then are their computers and phones more expensive than the competition? By the article's argument, Samsung/Motorola/HTC should be thinking about opening retail stores. I'd be surprised if they were - the reality is that the margins will not be that different when all the other operating costs are factored in.
I think that the underlying reason for the price differential is Apple's large-scale buying power - and I think that once the competition ramps up they will be able to better compete with Apple on tablet pricing. Apple has no reason to undercut rivals - it has built itself up on expensive product lines, which sell at higher prices to equivalent products because of (mainly) better brand value, and controlled supply quantities. It would be an about-turn if they decided to have the cheapest wares on the market - they certainly wouldn't continue to make quarterly profits of $6bn if they did that!
