Yeah, Realforce stuff looks nice. But the layout on the HHKB is just uh ... so ... awkward ...
At first I thought it was some dev oriented keyboard, but then I realized that ... no ... Page Up page down, end of line, start of line are just like ... not present
And no room for them around the arrow keys ...
You still have all the Page Up/Down Home End keys in a function layer. That's more than what modern day compact keyboards have (Apple Wireless Keyboard). Also, the layout has been around for a while, mimicked after various Sun terminal keyboard.
In my opinion, loving the HHKB layout comes down to a slight learning curve for as about as compact of a layout as I can get. Once you've adjusted to the layout, there is no "Dang, this layout is strange". It really is well thought-out. You can arrow around with one hand. You can reach your del/bs combos with one hand. There aren't any keys placed at the far edges of the board that require your fingers to strain to reach them. Commonly used keys like Esc and Backspace/Del are brought closer to the home row. All while keeping the functionality of a full tenkeyless board. The biggest sticking point is the price tag, and it will always be a legitimate complaint when there are Pokers and Pures with just as compact of a layout at a third of the cost.
The switches are purely subjective. Some people like it. Some people sold themselves on it. Some people want something more mechanical, and less rubber dome'y.