I haven't moved to 11 yet, but I agree that the AW isn't necessarily the best place for ALL functions to stay in once they're launched -- i.e. using it to launch a synch is one thing, but once launched, it's not necessarily the best size for some tasks. I also use a narrow left bar, and would prefer to keep the synch dialogue in a sperate pop-up window that's specifically suited this task -- i.e. a much wider window that could fit all the playlists. When it comes to this type of task, I think the AW should be seen as more of a "launching" window rather than a tiny desktop. Either that, or as RemyJ said, it should autosize to more suitable dimensions for these tasks.
Also, regarding the capability to start a sycn by right clicking -- one of the things that always impressed me about MC is it's "more-than-one-way" approach to workflow. It tends to offer more than one approach to accomplishing many tasks. Being able to start a sync either by right clicking OR by choosing it in the AW offers users the ability to find their own personal workflow style when synching. Believe it or not, this simple choice can actually make a difference to a lot of users.
I don't think anything is really "simplified" by removing the right click sync capability -- the "new users" can still access it in the AW. Taking it out of the right click menu, however, removes the choice, and changes the workflow for people who've been using this feature for over a year now. I'd like to see the "more-than-one-way" philosophy remain for these types of situations.
Larry