I don't see why he should feel motivated to conform to other people's ideas for what Star Wars should be, even if they happened to like what he did originally.
He says he's sorry about that, but he has his own opinion about how they should be.
You make it out like the fanbase is all of the same opinion. Everyone I have ever talked to is different, and pleasing "the fans" is just not possible.
Not everyone in the fan base thinks that Lucas is taking things in the wrong direction.
The only thing Lucas can really count on as a tangible direction is his own vision for these films.
I think that if he were to keep the originals in standard quality along side the new editions, that would make the most people happy.