You're talking about "the public" like it's a monolithic entity that makes a single choice in the market. That's silly. Many people will buy both. Apple is the most profitable company in the world and prices their goods to turn a profit. Google/Amazon sell near break even for market share/ecosystem returns.

We all know Apple's products don't compete on price directly... but they sure seem to be selling plenty of them.

For those who have already invested quite a bit into the Apple ecosystem, bought a lot of apps, etc., I think the iPad Mini sounds like a more logical choice.

I do agree that it's a bit on the expensive side but that's always the case with Apple products. I'd buy it over the Nexus.

You're underestimating the pull Apple has on people. There are plenty who will pay an extra $120 just because it's Apple.

$209? It's $199 (albeit for 8GB, though Google doesn't really encourage loading stuff onto it in favor of streaming).