Well, it could be the "single most praised feature" due to selection bias or survival bias: People who don't like the feature dislike it so much that they never become active users. :-O (Here's a good video about that kind of bias: https://youtu.be/P9WFpVsRtQg?t=88)
The "gradual progression" sounds very neat! I could imagine that will make adaption far easier and make the keyboard much more attractive for people who aren't "power users".