However, for the vast majority of users, who cares? The service is useful at a usually-fair price. If it works, use it.
Hopefully we can agree that Uber doing things like corporate attacks against Lyft might say something about their character that should give you pause on dealing with them. For example, someone willing to unfairly attack a competitor might also think nothing of disclosing a customer's location in real time without permission for promotional purposes. Oh, they reportedly did that too. With a pattern of poor judgment, it only makes sense to question whether you should use them even if it generally just works.
If I can't trust Uber to build a better product instead of sabotaging their competitor, I'll go with their competitor by default.
Don't think for a second Uber will continue to provide useful service at fair price when it finally grows mature and stifles its competition. With its continued disrespect for human values, such as honesty and decency, it already shows us the shape of things to come. We know this beast will not be friendly to men.
Uber needs to be slain now, while still young and weak.
I don't think for a second that Uber wants to continue to provide its service at a low price, but barrier to entry in the market is relatively low. Unless something changes on the legal front, I don't see how Uber can stifle its competition.
I'm always wary of Uber manipulating surge pricing since they profit off of surge as well. Without the extra profit motive it's easier to trust that surge pricing really is a supply-management tool instead of a price gouging one.