I would agree that stability & reliability are important, this needs to be balanced with functionality & value for money to be a successful product.
The combination offered by Philips in the form of the iPronto was a level i considered optimum (this is when compared to the crestron system which is probably better in all areas but with a price tag to match). When looking at a product with future upgrade potential it will justifiably attract a premium, the gamble for the consumer is whether future upgrades actually appear.
My concern/problem comes more in the promise of what the iPronto would be able to do. Early adopters of technology always suffer a price penalty, however, the promise of improvements in performance, reliability & functionality provided via firmware updates has made the iPronto far more successful than if it was launched as a finished product.
The iPronto is an expensive piece of hardware, it is priced at the right level based upon the combination of both current functionality and promised future functionality (along with the pre-requisite reliability)
I would be very disappointed if Philips announced that future focus will be directed to the 9800i or in fact an upgraded iPronto.
