I saw these at GenCon last year. They are really well made and designed in general though more geared towards RPG play than boardgame or mini play. Pricey, but they are meant to be furniture equal to your nice dining room furniture, not a 2x4 gaming table. The lower surface may require people to reach a bit much though, and I would have liked to have tried one in action.
The slat covers could cause a problem with spilled drinks leaking onto the surface below.
People still have working intercoms in homes? I thought that those went out in the 70's to early 80's.
A better analogue is the iPod and the iTunes Store. The iPod became the dominant mp3 player not because it supported proprietary and non proprietary formats. It became successful because it made the process of acquiring and transferring content (ripped and purchased) seamless and easy. The Kindle has something very similar in its ease with which you can purchase books and put them onto your Kindle.
New York... when civilization falls apart, remember, we were way ahead of you. - David Letterman