Is 4e too slow in play? That is a design problem (although obviously to some extent at least relative to taste).
Is 4e too different from AD&D and 3E, and hence not popular with that market? That is not a design problem; it's a commercial problem, but doesn't tell us anything about the qualities of 4e as a game. (It's not inherent in the notion of game, or even good game, that it be commercially popular.)
There is a tendency to conflate these too different sorts of analysis. I think that the first sort is interesting, and something that discussion boards are good for. The second is empirical speculation, and without access to the marketing information that only WotC has access to does not seem all that worthwhile.
Is 4e too different from AD&D and 3E, and hence not popular with that market? That is not a design problem; it's a commercial problem, but doesn't tell us anything about the qualities of 4e as a game. (It's not inherent in the notion of game, or even good game, that it be commercially popular.)
There is a tendency to conflate these too different sorts of analysis. I think that the first sort is interesting, and something that discussion boards are good for. The second is empirical speculation, and without access to the marketing information that only WotC has access to does not seem all that worthwhile.