To me, Nokia has always been higher priced than their competition, especially on the higher end. But that's to my typically subsidized, North American mentality.

To the non-American, that sounds like nonsense and our archaic carrier system and locked in contracts is plain ridiculous. But when your upfront costs are triple anybody else for the most part - or a premium over other devices - then people demand and expect more.

With that said, I'm not sure if it's Elop or prior Nokia decisions that drive those prices. We'll see once the WP7 phones come out how they're priced and know if Elop had a hand in that.

But honestly? This move doesn't exactly surprise me. But it doesn't mean I'll jump the gun to purchase it blindly. And I say that because my pockets, while could allow it, doesn't mean that I will follow suit.