Apple can increase prices, then everyone complains that they are going mad increasing prices and will go bankrupt. Apple can keep prices the same, then everyone complains that they are too expensive and need to drop prices to compete. And Apple can reduce prices, then everyone complains that it is a "clearance sale" and the iPad is over. Since _anything_ they could possibly do will lead to harsh criticism, we can discard that criticism.
In reality, Apple is selling two kinds of iPads (expensive Pro and not so expensive non-Pro). The expensive ones are not affected by this. Apple will never do anything about the £80 devices. But this move will have significant impact on the £200 - £300 devices and should increase iPad sales that way. Or force the competitors to reduce prices and lose any tiny bit of profit they are making now. It is a lot easier to convince someone to get an iPad for £339 instead of a £250 Android device than to convince them to pay £379 instead of £250.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
