A good UI is critical and MC 9.1 has made great strides over 9.0. I applaud this. I consider the UI part of the base product, and, in that sense, I think the base product is better.
There are so many software products out there that are packed with features but difficult to use. The computer as the center of home entertainment is still only for technically savvy users.
The industry needs to spend more time making it easier for consumers to assemble all of the technical pieces together rather than chasing the latest and greatest file format.
The only way 95% of the newbies can get multi-zone, netremote, tv, and all of these fancy things to work is to peruse the forums, ask lots of questions, and apply lots of trial and error. I would never have known many of these things unless I was a regular reader. And other than those who are addicted to the MC drug, how many people have the time to do this.
So, adding the panes, adding the AW, and considering a UI without the tree are necessary steps.
Of course, competitors will continue to innovate in the funcionality area too. MC will never be finished because there will always be someone else out there pushing the envelope. Such is the software business.
It will be a challenge to be an all-in-one Media Center that is top-notch in all areas while other companies are focused on only a specific segment such as TV recording or photo albums.
But MC will be sufficient to meet the needs of most users. The value of integrating it under one easy to use interface with a sophisticated database will outwiegh the added cool things I can do with a different DVD player or my ATI video recording software.