Where I live here in NY, I know of 3 different appliance stores, one where I have a good friend working, who tell me top loaders still outsell front loader by a large margin. As long as there remains demand, the machines will not dissapear. Most people like choice and variety, and not all have the same likes and dislikes. There should be room for all types of washers, not just one type. Isn't the differences in all the machines what makes them so interesting to us? If they were all the same, it would be very boring. In my immediate family, only two have tried a front loader, , one returned it for a top loader after 3 months, the other still has theirs. All my friend have top loaders, and don't intend to change. It is all a matter of preference. Perhaps if the prices of the front loaders come down significantly, they would be more appealing, by I myself would never spend what they are asking, when I get just as good a result from my top loader at a fraction of the cost. I believe these companies are trying to push the front loader because they make so much more MONEY on them. The difference in machines does not warrant the difference in prices.