Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Lister
That is the part I keep 'not getting'. Apple was not fixing prices; they were not their prices to fix.
Are they being charged with accessory to conspiracy to collude to fix prices?
I'm not trying to be difficult, I really just don't understand.
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The discussion of a hub and spoke conspiracy explains Apple's role. While they did not unilateraly have the ability to fix prices, they conspired with the suppliers to fix the prices at which the product could be sold to consumers. As a result, prices went up for no rational reason (increased production costs).
It isn't up to Apple to police monopolies, so that argument will fail. Unfortunately for Apple, Job's words show he knew all the publishers that had signed with Apple would soon imposed the identical deal on Amazon, completely changing the way books had traditionally been sold.
The Agency pricing has definately changed my book acquisition habits. I would like to see statistics on how the ebook library market has acted during this period. When current bestsellers were $9.99, I bought most of my books. Beginning when prices went up, I have been waiting for those books to show up at the library, preferably in ebook form, but also in pbook form. Last night, I went online to buy some books by an author I had just read in pbook form from the library. But the prices, which were all set by the publisher, were $7.99 to $9.99 for seven or eight year old books, which I could get in pbook form for $3.99. So, I decided to read another author I liked.
So, I didn't resort to piracy, but the result was the same. They didn't make a sale. And unless that author has another book that shows up on a bestseller list again, the liklihood I will look for books by that author again, is slim.