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I don't think the BPHs actually want ebooks to be really popular right now. They still have huge print enterprises. I think they want time to figure this stuff out and scale back the print business accordingly. It's a tough transition to make. There are certain costs associated with print that don't go down merely because you're printing fewer copies. They don't want to see the bottom drop out of that market just yet even if ebooks could be a lot more profitable in the end. I think part of the drive to $15 is precisely to make ebooks less attractive.
Amazon did studies to figure out the right price. They know demand for an ebook drops off sharply once you get to $10. The BPHs cannot be ignorant of this. Plus, if they were concerned about the perceived value of their product, wouldn't they want to go after all those shops that price their hardcover books below cost? I think they're hoping some ebook customers will go get that hardback instead since it's about the same price, and that ebook reading, in general, will seem less attractive to people thinking about getting a reader since the big price savings is no longer there.
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