Not to apologize for the huge prize difference, because basically I think it's Nokia (Elop) on the other hand trying to cash-in with N9 and on the other hand trying to make Windows Phones attractive prize-wise to get market share...

But as is public knowledge, the Windows Phones are not actually manufactured by Nokia, but by Compal. The N9's are truly Nokia made, in Finland for european market (which will make them more expensive due to workforce alone). For the asian market they're made in China, which would probably equate smaller workforce cost.

I also read this comment in OSNews, take this as you will, as I have no idea personally about these manufactuaring processes:

"Nokia also made a point that the speakers holes are drilled in the 800. In the N9 they are also, since the N9 is carved from a bigger piece of plastic. The 800 isn't, it is "injection molded", just like all the other mobile phones today. So either the production method for the N9 had serious problems, so Nokia killed that too, or compal just couldn't use a similar production method."

So the combination of these two facts may allude for some of the price difference. But like I said, I think there's deeper eloppy strategic reasons for them also.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the manufacturing process between these phones is indeed different. Damned if I remember what the difference was. I'm paraphrasing now using my notoriously white-noise filled memory, but the N9 is carved out of