I hear you on this (to a point). When the first gen iPhone came out, it was special; no doubt. It was expensive, cutting edge and was the must have tech device to own. Since then, it's becoming more mainstream and less special with price cuts on older models and such. I can walk through the mall and see 80 year old grandmothers with iPhones. If anything, THIS cheapens the brand.
But I think Apple's push is to get the iPhone out of the "special" bracket and into the hands of everyone. Sort of like the Model T of smart phones. It's to their benefit since they sell more products and get bigger revenues.
While there is some debate whether or not certain people at, oh let's say Walmart, would even know what to do with an iPad, it's still about getting the bigger bottom line for Apple. The more places their products are available at, the better for them and their bottom line which is the ultimate deciding factor for any company.
