> I'd almost describe it as "taking advantage" but perhaps that's too harsh.

It is, especially when you consider economies of scale with things like computer production.

Building 50 boards is expensive. Building 500 is cheaper. Building 5 million? That's now custom equipment dedicated to the project, and costs just plummet per unit.

I also like the Pi4 model in which the "higher end" versions seem to be more profitable, subsidizing the lower cost/RAM models.