There's no doubt in my mind that Apple has researched this extensively and that yes, obviously there is a specific target group for very model. These are both true.

The sheer confusion, though, that this situation creates to a LOT of people who DO NOT know precisely what they need out of an iPad before getting one, is a problem. A big one. Apple has put together this lineup in the hopes to extract as much money as possible from every purchase, but many people do not get to that point at all: they just look at a dizzying array of options, the sales people are not usually helpful enough (they will always try to up-sell no matter what), so a lot of consumers just end up getting a basic Android tablet and that's it.

The irony in all of this is that most of those consumers end up being perfectly happy with a no-frills Android tablet because they'll never know what they're missing by not getting an iPad. Which really is the best tablet on the market and always has been.

But Apple practically gets in the way of an easy choice out of sheer greed and I am willing to bet that it's losing a lot of sales that way, especially on the low end. It keeps for itself most tablet sales from people who already know the iPad is the best *before* getting one, yes. Are these consumers more than the mainstream ones who are not into tech enough to care for specs? Still debatable.