On the price issue, I can see it from a few views. If you consider the 8Gig unit at $164 coinciding it has wifi, bluetooth and do file transfer and storage, use every app the iphone and ipods use (with few exceptions) works as a phone and Video photo with Skype and dozens of other apps, has full multi-video conferencing using Oovoo and others, streams hundreds of thousands of radio and music genre stations and talk, news media. Lets you watch HBO and other pay premium channels anywhere and has endless numbers of off-line and online multiplayer games of every type, it connects to the HDTV using HDMI adapter devices to use it as a movie playing super device, and you can stream live video content to nearly any site, or upload direct to Youtube and Twitter as well as using tappa-talk for PERFECT FORUM INTERFACE - it is a GREAT BARGAIN.
The issue of price comes in when you add a hundred dollars EACH time you double the memory aboard which is not expandable using memory cards. going from 8 to 16 adds a hundred, going from 16 to 32 and going from 32 to 64 adds another hundred. I knew and was glad I went 64Gig of space for $365 and YES PRICEY but after 3 months and downloading apps every day, sometimes dozens to try out since they were marked down to free (download the Apps Fire) app to get the best deals on every discounted apps, sometimes over a hundred a day - and if they suck, just delete them.
I'm loaded with videos, photos, music and over 200 apps and STILL have over 32Gigs free in mine. Paying for that extra storage space is peace of mind to me and made it worth it.
Buzzbee just bought 2 8giggers and thinks they are awesome. I know you can get others (not knock-off) just others mostly the Droid family but you'll never get the catalog of apps the Ipod,phone and pads give you. I think some of what you pay for is the world you can access with it.
I stand by this, IF YOU DO NOT OWN A COMPUTER, you could easily live with just this ans to have the world at your fingers, fitting in your pocket and user friendly - thank I'd take an Ipod over a small laptop any day just for shear convenience - I see some of the slightly larges mini tablets and wouldn't want one cause it wouldn't fit in my pocket. And Tablet are (to me) cool looking but I wouldn't want to carry it or hold it to use it and if I need to connect it to its stand to use it, it just left the world of portable devices to me.
Just brainstorming, everyone has a favorite and paying more for an Apple seems like paying for brand-name but I think you are paying more from "Better bang for your buck" in the long run.