That way if there ever is a big price increase sufficient to make you switch domains you've got at least 9 years to execute the switch.
But if you see some promotional pricing on renewals or transfers, remember that you can add a few years anytime and not just on your registration anniversary. And when you transfer a domain, most of the cases it extends by a year too (although for some very rare ccTLDs that might not be the case I think).
Of course the other issue is the future popularity is unknown. I think a lot of the first wave of new TLDs are not so hot today, but maybe they aren't lowering their prices if their last cash is from domain renewals of those reluctant to move on.
If your domain is already expiring in 10 years and you want to transfer out, you're stuck for a year.