Hey Dobro,
The answer is right on Rode's site:
"Before the home recording market 'explosion' there were very few established and respected manufacturers of recording (condenser) microphones. Those previous 'market-leaders' produced premium product which also carried a premium price. Why were they so expensive??? Well, the market at that time was small, and considerable investment had to be recouped from very few customers.
RØDE's early manufacturing coincided with the emergence of a much larger market home recording and project studios. The company was aware, that by using the latest technology, and the best design and engineering staff, quantities could be produced which would achieve economies of scale previously unheard of."
- So, they realized there was a market niche in us poor homerecorders. And, they have the industrial means to crank large quantities of mic's out, while still making a substantial profit.
- You can either sell 1 mic for $2000 or 20 for $100. I think they would get faster cash flow going the second route.
That's my theory.