Prices are NOT set by 'market forces.' They are fixed by the publishers, who have no idea what they are doing. Even one of their own (the Random House head) admitted in an interview posted here that publishers have no experience in this area.
If it was truly set by 'market forces' then common sense would apply, and there would be no issues with things like loaning a book or transferring it to another device you might own. Even my mom, who is not a techie and knows little about computers, wondered about sharing books with the husband---she can buy a print book, leave it on the table, he can pick it up and read it, so she sees no reason ebooks should be different. She is not a criminal pirate, either. She is just a regular person using common sense.
I used to work in the magazine industry, and interned at one of the biggest magazines in the country. It was the number one 'most read' magazine, and its chief rival used to brag that it was the number one 'most purchased.' By this, they mean that the 'most read' winner gets their number one status from being in doctor's offices and multi-person households where people share. They brag about this sharing and use it as a selling point! And this is from the publishing 'industry!'
People are not stupid. They do not resent paying a fair price, but they do resent feeling hosed. Since the price-fixing began, I have been getting most of my books from indie sites and from the public library. They have lost sales over their behaviour. I don't really think that's what they wanted
