I think Apple's decision is to take an additional step toward profitability. Even MS is telling Hotmail subscribers that the free ride is over without a subscription to MSN.
I agree that $100 is steep, and $130 is a lot for OS 10.2. If we want Apple to survive, we'll have to contribute. So, for once, I'm telling my Mac buddies to buy their own copy of the new OS instead of asking for a copy of mine. Maybe ".mac" is not for everybody, but then, I've been a Mac addict since the Mac 128. It is matter of choice, but, THE FREE RIDE IS OVER.