Well, you make a good point considering the strictness of the diet. I think, in recent times, people are taking the good things out of the diet and learning what works and doesn't work.

I wrote an article on expected trends for 2013, and you can clearly see that the natural / fruit part from paleo is popular, and people should take from a diet what works for them:

http://paleorecipesforyou.com/2013/01/08/paleo-in-2013/

I think it's just a matter of personal preference...