Ok, didn't fully read the essay/review, but I think OP looks things in a similar way I do (But I use capitals...)... Anyway, I would like the N9 to succeed in mass-Market, so it may increase apps/merchandising and favour FOSS development on phones...
The point that keeps me unquiet is there is absolutelly no replacement for N900... We would need at leastt an N950 With Maemo5-styled system (Maybe Mer+Nemo?)...