@9000 - I like my N900, this thread is speculation as to why others "hate" it.
@everyone - Thanks for the advice on the answering issue. That actually brings up another reason some have "hate" for the N900. It seems some of the issues people have with the N900 can be individual device specific.
I'm on PR1.3, overclocked to 805 (with a slight undervolt), using modified hildon-desktop for 6 desktops (mostly shortcuts, not widgets). Probably around 100 or so apps installed, no contact managers. But even from stock, I've always had the occasional issues with answering calls. And yes, I even flashed both 1.3 and the emmc for a fresh "from scratch" start. I believe I've tried most of the fixes, and yes even when locked to one orientation, it still wanted to flip occasionally. Having it locked to one annoyed me, so I don't. I'm not important enough that a missed call will cause doom in my life, so I shrug and move on, one of the little quirks that makes it all the more lovable and annoying at the same time.
I've said it before, but I think Nokia rushed out Maemo 5 (making more like step 2.5 or 3 of 5, not 4 of 5.... As to expectations, as ysss points out, based on prior brand history, the company contributes in a significant fashion to customer expectations. Customers are hard to come by and easy to lose.