Yeah, I'm mostly curious how this codec stacks up against WebM/VP8 or whatever other free codecs are out there. It'd be nice to see something take off that's less encumbered by licensing issues.
EDIT: I mean to say, H.264 implementations (particularly x264) are way, way, way out in front of VP8, so even as the H.264 standard is better, the actual facts on the ground are even more so. The only reason to use VP8 (and let me be clear: I think this is a perfectly legitimate reason) is political.
Regarding the other thing, MPEG is running two tracks for a royalty-free spec based on existing patent-free tech and on grants from H.264 patent holders (respectively) which they say they will decide on sometime this year. An option like that from MPEG might not take off but can't hurt.
Double track on licensing makes some sense for a profile that can be served or provided free but I expect the efficiency benefits would mean that for commercial uses you would pay. That would mean that most hardware will support both so really I think most decodes will support both.
Maybe people will use the non free for mobile.