They're not even much more expensive...
Armchair comparison: assume you're lazy and looking for a tablet at pcworld. The sony s is £349.99. An iPad 2, also 16gb is £399.99. That's 14% extra for better build quality, faster performance, longer battery life, better base of apps, likelihood of being supported for longer and a bigger screen thrown in as well (in 4:3 not too short 16:9). Unless you got a touchpad in the firesale like me you'd have to really, really want android or usb slots built in to go for anything else.
It's annoying-apple know they have a hit on their hands so they can bulk-order components, make it for less than the competition and still turn a healthy profit which they can then use to fund R&D to stay ahead. Unless they stumble I can't see what's going to beat them in the tablet market.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
