I have no idea where you pull those figures from, but the realistic expectation prior to the launch for 6970 back then was for it to match or slightly slower than the GTX580, but price at £340~£360 vs GTX580 at £400.
I was expecting £360 to £400 because that is what Gibbo initially told us they would be. We where wishing for £300 and I even said I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if it was £300 (and someone backed me up on that) but they came out at £280 so I bought two

Is this going off topic?