I seriously doubt raising the price would bring in a 'better class of customer.' There is always a degree of irrationality involved and this market in particular seems to have more than it's share. Not surprising I suppose that people involved in making imagery would value image over substance. At any rate, the degree of scorn I've seen heaped on Poser by the 3D cognoscenti seems to exceed the product's flaws or limitations. Overcoming that type of attitude will take a lot more than price increases. You would essentially need not only a new product but a new company, an entirely new persona divorced from anything Poser. Let's also not ignore the fact that for every X number of hobbyist level users you lose, you also lose the content they buy. How many Vicki 3s are those fewer $2,500 boys going to buy, how many fetish outfits? Would they maintain the current cottage industry that has contributed so much to Poser's success or would they continue to patronize the $500 basketball TurboSquid market? In addition to the product itself, you'd better be prepared with the type of support those $2,500 customers have come to expect. The consequences are going to be much more dire when your issues are holding up a major professional production than they are if some can't get Vicki's into their temple. I think there are reasons beyond price and capability why there are only a handful of really successful top tier packages. I think Poser should concentrate on it's core strengths, ease of use and a large variety of inexpensive content. It should encourage more high level users by supporting standards like FBX and making itself play well in a production environment where possible but I think trying to change its fundamental personality would be the death of it.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken