Hey, Strum!

In a "nutshell", consensus is that the picks allow you to play faster and to get a bigger tone. This is said to be because of the design and materials. Reading comments in a number of threads on other forums, a lot of people are like "man, this thing is too darn thick for me to play with" and once they give it a chance after just a few minutes, most players feel right at home with it.

You're right...I, too, have never seen such a fuss made over something as simple as a pick before. They are pretty cool, though, and deserve all of the respect they get for what they do.