Apple surprised some company watchers with its relatively low price points for the iPad, and it appears prepared to go even lower, if necessary. It will be flexible about pricing if consumer demand for the device does not shape up as expected, according to a note from Credit Suisse reported in The Wall Street Journal. That was the take-away from a recent meeting between Credit Suisse analysts and Apple officials, according to analyst Bill Shope.

According to the latest report from research firm comScore, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform has the largest U.S. smartphone market share, but the company as a whole is an also-ran compared with larger handset OEMs. ComScore’s MobiLENS survey from September to December provides an interesting snapshot of the U.S. mobile handset market.  Release

When I first noticed the Retrevo Pulse headline for its study that examines consumer interest in buying the Apple iPad, my first reaction was eerily in line with the traffic-grabbing headline, “Apple iPad Hoopla Fails to Convince Buyers.” I’m an unabashed fan of almost every Apple product the company in Cupertino produces, and yet I’m still not convinced the iPad is a worthy addition to my personal Apple lineup. Sure, I love the idea of kicking back on the couch and browsing the Web with flicks and pinches.

CNET and E! Online co-founder Kevin Wendle announced a partnership with MusicNation and Original Signal co-founder Daniel Klaus to form AppFund, a new firm designed to help entrepreneurs create and launch applications for Apple’s forthcoming iPad and other tablet devices. AppFund investments will range from $5000 to $500,000, according to the complexity of each application and its commercial potential–each proposal also will evaluate an app’s value as a utility in the everyday lives of consumers, enterprise users and small businesses, as well as its scalability and viral marketing potential. AppFund is currently accepting written proposals.

For more on AppFund:
- read this release

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The tablet computer market will see 50 million units shipped in 2014, according to a new In-Stat report — and if Apple plays its cards right, a significant portion of them could be iPads. In-Stat took several factors into account as it made its calculations, said Jim McGregor, analyst and report author. “Right now, Apple can build these devices for $400 and still make a profit off of them. But the cost will eventually come down — and so will the price for consumers.”