Actually, at very high volumes (where the non-recurring engineering cost is sufficiently amortized), the larger equivalent component is more expensive, since you are using more material to manufacture the component.

Obviously, other factors, like process yield can be a factor here as well, since a lower process yield for the smaller component would increase its price.

Competitors’ tablets aren’t any thinner. That’s what you would expect if Apple had made the first iPad purposefully thicker than they could have done.

They probably didn’t spend much time optimizing the thickness the first time around. I would guess that they made a ton of dummy mockups, figured out some sort of maximum thickness to still get a compelling product and designed the first iPad with that goal in mind.

Could they have released a thinner iPad last year? Probably, but it might well have taken them a few months longer. It’s simply a matter of priorities. You can’t do everything.

I don’t for one second believe that they already had the design for a thinner iPad drawn up and added some thickness in the last minute just to make their job easier.

How did he make sure that the compiler wouldn't optimize them away?