According to analyst Bill Shope of Credit Suisse, his meetings with Apple executives suggested that Cupertino is poised to make quick decisions on iPad pricing should the new hardware not fly off the shelves this March.

The prices, ranging from $499 to $829, has already been seen as impressively lean, which has led many industry experts to think that Apple is more interested in establishing the platform hard and fast than profiting from a high mark-up, and will do what's necessary to achieve an immediate market saturation.

A similar tact was taken with the iPhone, which originally had $200 slashed off its price just two months after release, forcing Apple to offer a rebate to early adopters.

But the long-established Gillette business model of giving away the razors to sell the blades has paid off supremely well in the iPhone's case, so early price cuts on the iPad wouldn't come as a huge surprise.