The argument I put forward (and I completely respect people that disagree with it) is that yes, it's okay to let somebody else control the clock font, because the clock font doesn't matter. I'd rather not have the choice to change it, because I've got twitchy fingers and am terribly good at procrastination.
Sure, the clock font doesn't matter. But the limiting form of the formula ("It's OK to let someone else control X because X doesn't matter") for lots of values of X is a recipe for total disaster.
Nobody expects Letters to become the new default OSX Mail client. Rather, it will probably be a successful niche app for power users.
An app like Letters would never see the light of day on the iPhone because it "duplicates system functionality." Mail is good enough, so the logic goes.
Why should we have to have the horrible experience...
I don't think it's asking to have our cake and eat it, to be able to play with the toys we've bought?
Should all developers just stick to linux and windows ? - Your walled garden will be a much duller place for it.