HIGH WAY
Apple Inc. has clearly has showed yesterday at the unveiling of its new iPad that it isn’t afraid to take the high road - the high road of price, that is.

Amidst the release of new tablets at cheaper prices by fierce competitors, such as Amazon.com Inc., Samsung Electronics Inc. and Google Inc., Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, introduced the new iPad mini to the public at the starting price of $399. The device that features a high-definition screen enters the market $70 more expensive than the previous model. Apple also revealed a lighter and thinner design for its larger tabled, renamed to iPad Air, which starts at $499.

The price of the devices, which will ship to eager customers next month, exceed analysts’ expectations, especially after the recent hype around the release of the cheaper iPhone 5c last month. Apple’s newest release, however, seems to be highlighting that the company is not afraid of cheap competition as it appeals to the higher end market that willing dishes out the dollar for Apple’s winning combination of superb functionality and sophisticated design.

FREE WAY
Expensive, apparently, can sometimes be paired with free. Apple announced yesterday that for the first time it will start giving away its Mac operating system and iWork software suite for free for all MacBooks and Mac computers. The announcement applies Apple’s model of free software updates on phones and tables to their computers as well, extending the full-service model to all their loyal customers.

CEO Tim Cook said that the company wants “customers to have [their] latest software” even if that meant “turning the industry on its ear.” This move may be an attempts by Apple Inc., which trails Microsoft Windows in the computer market, to catch up to its biggest competitor, as well as to safeguard its grip on mobile software ahead of Microsoft’s Surface Pro release which will run on windows.