Yeah, Google definitely went with an aggressive approach in their advertising and hardware for Android this year. Android itself was never advertised, just OEMs like Samsung and HTC, but you're seeing them now. Thus more expensive tablets and phones. I'm not sure I like it, since Nexus devices from the beginning were supposed to be the way Google intended Android to be with specs that rival or are even better the smartphone powers at a much more affordable price off contract.
That said, I have the 2012 Nexus 7 that I still heavily use, and it's still as awesome as it was the day I got it. Stock Android on a tablet is hard not to recommend, considering how much screen real estate you have to customize apps and widgets to your liking. I was really considering the Nexus 9 but since both Nexus 7 models are going to get Lollipop, I might hold off on it since Google is making Android require less and less system requirements to run with each iteration. My Nexus 7 runs KitKat much better than it did Jelly Bean. Material Design is going to look fantastic on the Nexus 9's screen and since system requirements are actually decreasing, I'm confident that it's going to run well on the Nexus 7 too. If you do get the Nexus 9, coming from someone who still uses the Nexus 7 from 2012, you won't be disappointed, especially if you're someone who is already in the Android ecosystem.
Sorry for the long-ish post. Here's a cute puppy:
