Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr:

The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from ebooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.

Some of that quote is rather barf-worthy. “Interactive and engaging”! And people usually think one of the benefits of breaking up a monopoly is that prices go down, not up. So, thanks for nothing.

But, to Apple’s point, I don’t get how this pricing structure is OK for apps but not for books. And, again, simply restoring the Czar to the throne doesn’t seem like the right answer either, even if food prices go down.