I bet the case is as follows:

Nokia board of directors have been gathering for Friday sauna since late 2008 and after the N900 was released in 2009 they started reading up on TMO, just for kicks and giggles. It didn't take long before they discovered several members complaining about the tablet, about it not being a true IT. They were greatly amused by this, as the N900 was obviously an internet tablet with the additional phone functionality. One thing that they were particularly amused by was users who didn't even own the device, who still ranted on and on about how flawed, overpriced, under-speced and bulky it was etc.

Then came 2011. When the first hands on's of the newly announced successor of the N900, namely the N9, started going around the internets with nothing short of glowing first impressions, the board got a little bit uncomfortable. "If the whiners and complainers buy the N9, and are happy about the product, what happens to our Friday sauna-lolz?": they said. This is when they came up with the pricing of the N9. "There we go! Too expensive for the trolls! Now our Friday saunas are safe, FOREVER!!"