Are Apple and Publishers Helping Readers by Ripping Them Off?
The Justice Department alleges that Apple's collusion with book
publishers to fix ebook prices has cost readers $100 million. So
why are so many news reports on the anti-trust suit suggesting
that the Apple/publisher alliance is actually good for
consumers?  The New York Times' David Streitfeld (4/12/12)
warns:  Amazon, which already controls about 60 percent of the
ebook market, can take a loss on every book it sells to gain
market share for its Kindle devices. When it has enough
competitive advantage, it can dictate its own terms, something
publishers say is beginning to happen.  Apple iPad (cc photo:
Tom Raftery)  (cc photo: Tom Raftery)  Likewise CNN's Doug Gross
(4/11/12):  But some say Amazon's lower prices have been the
problem all along…. The argument goes like this: By selling most
new ebooks for $9.99, Amazon is setting a price that's too low
for other competitors to match in a price war. If that
eventually drives the competition away, A