And now it's been several years with a D-pad device (770 and N800) and also several years with the N810 device without a D-pad
so I do dare to say that a) most users didn't really use the D-pad when they had one with the 770 and the N800 and b) more importantly, most users do not miss it when it is gone from the front cover with the N810. "Most users" of course means that not everybody acts the same, but "most" is a better target than "some"