I agree with most of what Michael says, but I think there is another element at play here. That is that Neil traditionally offers "$20 for the best reply/post". So I think the $20 is just a token of the recognition of "providing the best/most insi...
Speaking from a consumer stand-point:
1) The obvious one...a "great" product
2) A product that is steadily improved from both a feature and performance perspective
3) An upgrade path, in terms of price and/or product version offerings , that reco...