Are the nine point AF system and predictive autofocus, used either individually or together, just hype?

What's been really interesting during my brief journey into DSLR forums is that from some of the participant feedback, I get the feeling that certain DSLR features sound like gimmicks, just like on compact cameras.

I thought a nine point AF system on a DSLR would be superior than multipoint focus systems on compact cameras such as Canon's AiAF.

I thought predictive auto focus would be a usable feature on a DSLR, unlike continuous AF on a compact camera for still shots.

As an aside to my main questions, I've also been surprised by some of the negative comments about ISO performance on XXXD DSLRs. While I certainly didn't think the ISO performance would be equal to DSLRs that cost thousands, I didn't expect to see so much discussion about it. "Excellent DSLR high ISO performance" is what I've been hearing for years and to me it was a given.

Seems interchangeable lenses have a number of quirks too.

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gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb
My digital camera BLOGs: Canon XSi, S2, SD700; Pany FZ18, TZ3; Fuji F20; Nikon 5400 http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/index.php