Why buy the E-Pl1

Why buy the Olympus PEN E-PL1?

I did a quick informal survey of 11 E-PL1 owners to see why they had bought the Olympus E-PL1. Here's the results:

Here's my own thoughts about these items:

Size & weight - this is definitely a small and lightweight camera, no question there - which makes it much easier for travel, covering family events, etc. For serious photography I personally prefer the feel of a more substantial camera body for stabilization and framing, but there's no questioning the appeal of small & light to many people. Of course, small is always better for underwater photography.
Price - ($599 in the USA with the kit lens) This is one reason I don't understand. Well, I've seen the price of some of those micro-four thirds lenses, they can be pricey. A used Nikon D80 + 18-55mm lens can be picked up inexpensively. So the price reason sort of surprised me. For more thoughts on the pricing, read our E-PL1 conclusions.
Live View - I prefer the accuracy and clarity of a viewfinder, but I know some people prefer Live view.
HD Video - I'm surprised more people didn't mention the HD video with auto-focus, I think it's one of the camera's best features
Interchangeable lenses - a great feature and I'm surprised more people didn't mention it, which makes me wonder if many people moving up from a compact will even buy more lenses
Sensor size - read our comparison to compacts and dSLRs for more info on the sensor size
Image Quality - see our Olympus E-PL1 image tests
High ISO - see our Olympus E-PL1 image tests