Is anyone actually programming it rather than just installing stuff? If its just to run existing apps then why not just get a cheap PC?
Because cheap PCs are shit, would be more expensive, consume more power and (if you have to install Windows to run it) would actually be less suited to the job.
I know they were developed with the idea of introducing kids to programming, but that is purely because they are so cheap. Anyone who’s already got a pc/mac/etc would be better off using that to learn programming. As far as hardware projects go it is a decent device, but then again an Arduino is probably better suited.
Basically because of the cheap cost, hardware 1080p decoding and very low power usage they are absolutely perfect for a “always on” media device.