Ryanair do have high(ish) prices for next summer as they need to keep their extremely cheap seats for which they put on sale, at ludicrous prices, about 2 weeks - 2 months before departure.
They work different from other carriers for the simple reason that they use their prices as their main weapon.
easyJet are usually the most consistent airline with their fares and work with the first come first served method whereas Ryanair's is much more:
book early: pay regular fare
book couple of months in advance: extremely cheap
book day before: ludicrously expensive
Remember - Ryanair have a reputation of being cheap, so when a high percentage of Ryanair passengers (which is into the tens of millions!) check their website, the automatically assume that will be the cheapest fare on the web because they are seen as the cheapest airline. You would be amazed how many people do not shop around.
Why do you think you receive all those promotional emails from x, y and z - they know if you see a decent price on their ad, nine times out of ten, you won't check anywhere else, even if it is cheaper.
I'm sure Ryanair spend a small fortune on their pricing strategies and they will be getting their monies worth out of all of the employees who are involved working out fares etc.