Seung Lee, SiliconBeat:

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak defended the high price tag of iPhones, which is rumored to cost $1,200 for the upcoming 10th anniversary model, because the quality is so good and “a safe bet.”

And:

“Apple products are safe. And Apple’s pricing is high in the extreme,” said Wozniak to South China Morning Post reporters on Wednesday. “It’s a safe bet for a lot of people, and when you love Apple you are willing to pay for it.”

Wozniak also spoke highly of Chinese smartphones, which are much cheaper than iPhones.

“Here is what I admire about Chinese phones: really good, intelligent decisions about how to lower the cost but keep enough of the functionality in,” said Wozniak.

Though it’s not clear if this was planned, Woz is being a bit of an ambassador here, his China visit and comments following directly on the heels of Apple’s promotion of Isabel Ge Mahe as Managing Director of Greater China.