I'd like to add another data point. A month ago I was at my favorite dealer here in Paris and a lady photographer was vocally complaining how she couldn't do her assignments because of the failure of the back part of the Hassy integrated system she had just bought. It was clear from listening to the phone calls the dealer was making that she wasn't going to get her assignements shot with any Hassy product, very clearly people were scurrying away from the problem like roaches when you switch on the lights.
I chatted a bit with the lady, and she was soon asking me to recommend a cheap backup, I suggested a 5D as I have seen professionals use this camera for location portraiture.
The same dealer has stood up for me when my Canon gear failed, and got it swapped within less than a working week, so I know he does the maximum he can for his clients, and I could see he was trying hard here, making calls rather than sales. Let's not blame him.
Another data point: The same dealer sells Phase. I asked him whether he sells Leaf, as I am seriously thinking of getting a Leaf back in the future becuse of the high ISO and the file quality, and have a history of selling back equipment to him in order to fund my new purchases. He replied he will not sell Leaf due to reliability problems he had in the past (*not recent*) which created too many problems for him. This is the sort of direct reply which I like to get from a dealer and explains why I still buy from him: bricks and mortar retailers need their clients more than their clients need them. Also, one needs to to remember that the mothership can improve product quality but they cannot so easily improve the quality of their distribution net.
All new tech fails, but the real test is whether after-sales works. CPS Paris turns my cameras around in 24 hours when I really need it, and the size of the company means they always have some sort of replacement gear available immediately. Of course, it's possible that there are islands of perfection over in the USA or Japan where you really get a current-generation replacement Medium Format system when you need it, where you need it, and before the subject has gone extinct. For the rest of us, however, I think that those after-sales assurances are about as accurate as Mr. Bush's statement that Iraq is a democratic country - if you don't have backup or clout you may find that concept and reality differ.
Edmund