You have outlined many of the points I have talked to others about for a while!
Steem as a currency is great and should be used unto itself as an exchange of value! I can't wait for the iOS and Android stand alone wallet apps. It may make Steem go mainstream as just a currency!
Yeah... I'm hopeful those will arrive sooner rather than later. With the trouble the API endpoints have been having lately, maybe it's a good thing they didn't release anything yet. I'd hate for the app to launch but get terrible reviews if the API nodes are down.