So they are "shielding" themselves from a reputation drop by making an incredibly naked attempt and pushing the price to the roof so nobody wants it?
I mean, come on... if they had increased it $20 by $20 until nobody wants it, I would buy your hypothesis, but this is like pooping on my Director's desk while he is in the office to get fired
How is this less blatant than just announcing they are cancelling life time subscriptions? or even better, just removing the option without any announcement?