Apple doesn’t play the discount game. The company focuses on creating products that people want and then sets the price high enough to assure itself of a healthy profit. Over the past several years, the strategy has worked spectacularly, as millions of consumers have willingly emptied their wallets to acquire pricey MacBook Air laptops, iPads, and the like. We wonder, though: Might the new iPad break Apple’s winning streak? After all, the third-gen iPad, though lovely, represents more of an incremental improvement than a full-blown overhaul of its predecessor. Given that the top-of-the-line new iPad, equipped with 64GB and 4G LTE wireless, runs $829, Apple could be testing the resolve (and the budgets) of even its deepest-pocketed fans.
If you’re itching to spend all that dough, we wouldn’t want to discourage you; the recovering U.S. economy can use all the positive signs of consumer confidence it can get. We would, however, suggest that you weigh a few alternative purchases before whipping out your credit card. Here are some of the things you can buy for approximately $829 (tax not included):