So what’s your answer to the question?:

You’re not seriously telling me Apple didn’t want and try to make $1000+ the new mainstream price, are you?

And when you write:

But to argue that Apple wanted everyone to suddenly pay $1000 instead of $700 … sigh.

That isn’t what I argued. I argued merely that they wanted to make $1000+ the new normal, mainstream price for an iPhone.

Of course, you can have a different opinion. But that doesn’t make my view ‘fiction.’ You’ve put your view (Thank you for doing so) and I’ve put mine. People can make their own minds up about which they find the most convincing.