Since On-Line chess replaces the days of postal chess the analysis board makes perfect sense. The objective of postal chess was to afford one the time to analyze the position, and become a stronger player. What is to stop you from pulling out a chess set and going over the moves? Might as well put the AB there.
Remember, the objective is to become a stronger player. As long as it is only you doing the analysing. Using a computer would be cheating as you are using assistance from another source. Your analysis is only as good as you are, but it helps teach you to see things, which in turn helps you with OTB chess.
I occasionally use the Analysis Board (AB) during my games, but it feels like I'm cheating. Nevertheless, I know that my opponent has access to it too and that I can't stop him from using, therefore I feel a need to use it too.
Note that I'm NOT arguing for removal of the AB; if that happens, those who want to use it will just use another board, physical or virtual, to play around with the position before making their move.
If this was purely a play-by-mail (PBM) type system where everyone took the time to deeply analyze each move, that would be one thing. But when both players are online at the same time, it's possible to play "live" or as close as you can get to it. The problem is that the game can shift from being "live" to PBM at any moment, simply by one of the players using the AB.
If during a "live" game, one of the players has to temporarily stop playing but doesn't let his opponent know, what does the opponent think? Why, he thinks that the other player is probably analyzing the game in the AB, even if he's not. The opponent ends up with an unfair advantage.
I am currently only using the AB when it becomes crucial to see 5+ moves ahead, and my little brain can't handle it. I suspect that my use of it is pretty average compared to other players.
Of course, when the real Live Chess comes out, this whole argument will be moot. Everyone will be assumed to be using the AB during regular chess, and time constraints will prevent use of any analysis board during Live Chess. So, here's hoping for it coming out sooner, rather than later!
Keep up the good work, Erik and team.