This was when they were first released. The intention was to make computing available to nearly everyone, regardless of income level, and this was a way to demonstrate how it was possible. By literally giving it away. As for the Pi itself, retail was $35.

This is the MacBook Pro

My first Pi was a Zero. It came free with a PC magazine. It was taped to the cover. I think the retail price then was something like $5

I’m not sure that Apple is a good example to use here. They just announced their new MacBook - starting at $3,000. Their new cell phone starts at $2,000.

And disconnected from reality

Just saw one on Amazon for 11,500 USD