Speaking to the "needs of the avergage Joe" might not be the best plank to base your argument on. Absolutely true that many, if not most, civilian AR owners might not ever need to wring every last ounce of performance out of their ARs, but what's that really matter? If all of us here have only the number and performance-level of firearms we truly need, then most of us probably have only an old revolver, a bolt-action rifle and a pump shotgun in the safe ...
Betcha a lot of guys here own big pickup trucks that they've never used on a farm, never taken off-road or never hauled anything more than a new big-screen TV home from Best Buy ...
How many of us really need our expensive Swiss chronographs? Do you use all its features when you're piloting your private plane over to Telluride for the weekend or when you're diving the reef off your favorite Caribbean island?
Own a 'Vette or a 7-series BMW? How often do get to bury the needle on your speedometer (well, if they were still analog gauges) or test all its supposed attributes on a long straight stretch of deserted highway, a winding mountain road or a racetrack?
Getting back to a previous comment by BSA1, well, I should've said "most practical applications" not "any ..." But, do any of us really stick to one gun manufacturer for every single one of our "needs?"
Why do some of you seem to expect that one company should try to fill every single niche? I'll stack my Colts up to comparable products from any other company and know that they'll perform at least as well and usually better, plus maintain their value longer.