Mark, I think you are right on that too. Ultramels are going to take the new spotlight for some time. Hopefully the genetic blunders aren't seen in them as they are in caramels.
As for Pieds, I paid $4k for my het pair in 2003. Sold my first Pieds in 2005 for $4k each, and they've only come down since. I've seen no whites for $800 this year. Five years ago they still would have fetched $3500-4000.