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I think the question that publishers really want answered is, 'What are some of you willing to pay more for?'
Every market faces the conundrum that some purchasers are willing to pay more than others, and the vendor has to determine a strategy that will extract a higher price from those willing to pay more while still making a profit from those willing to pay less. In the past, hardbacks represented the 'premium' version and, together with release dates, constituted the means by which the market was stratified. Hardback sales have been in decline for several years now, so Kindle-pricing isn't the only problem, though it doesn't help.
I agree that heavy, bulky hardbacks are actually undesirable in many cases and though I've bought many of them, I'd have preferred the option of a Trade paperback. The question is, 'How does this translate into the world of ebooks?' Is there a way to distinguish a 'premium' ebook from a mass-market version in any way other than release date?
Some may say that publishers should just drop stratification completely and move to a flat-pricing model. They're ignoring the fact that this will mean higher prices for books at the low-end, as the mass-market would no longer be subsidised by those willing to pay more to get the premium version.
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