Of course, there may be a reason why we haven't seen that before – it's hard to know where your output will be before your turn on, and at some point along the dial, the light has to go from Max to Off. :shrug: Personally, I would have preferred detents (defined stops) for Max and/or Off. Alternatively, I suppose they could have had the light ramp both up and down from Max along the ring - but then it wouldn't have been clear which way to turn (i.e., at least now, you know clockwise will always increase output from off or low). Again, there is no perfect solution to this issue - and your preferences may vary from mine.
Note also that the ramp has been updated for a true "visually-linear" ramp (based on modern perceptual research), which I consider to be a plus. The ultra-low levels are all still there, albeit over a shorter portion of the ring turn. However, the ring spends almost half of its turn in Max output, which was unexpected. Personally, I'm fine with the dynamic control over less than half the turning range – it makes it convenient for one-handed use (although I still miss the detents). In any case, I suggest you pay close attention to the ramp testing results earlier in the review, to see if this suits your needs.
A few other changes that are not so welcome are the increased standby drain in the Off region of the ring (although this may not matter if you are sure to always leave the light clicked off at the tailcap). Screw threads remain square-cut, but are no longer anodized for lockout (likely due to litigation issues). And some of the previous extras like the grip ring and holster are gone now. :shrug:
