Well, for a start, its attempt to hopefully consolidate two of my lenses into one - Nikkor 18-105mm & Nikkor 70-300mm G. Secondly, its to have an all-in-one lens that complements the Nikon SB-900 speedlight (this speedlight now accommodates a 200mm reach as opposed to 105mm on the SB-800).
Thirdly, its that last-mile VR I painfully need when I do not wish to lug my Manfrotto around to attempt night photography. I know I could top up an additional $600 to get the Nikon 17-55 F/2.8 but I thought that's reserved for the new DX body that Nikon will soon roll out (that I can blog about!). As the Nikon sales representative puts it, each Nikon lens is designed conceptually with some specific Nikon bodies, despite having only the two DX/FX camp.
For example, its "not right" (but perfectly fine), to say, fit a Nikon AFS 24-70 F/2.8 on a Nikon D40 body. One would get a Nikon D700 instead. Likewise, its, to me, quirky to fit a top DX lens to the Nikon D90. In the former case, we are talking about an inability of the Nikon D40's sensor to properly resolve the image coming through the Nikon 17-55mm F/2.8. So say the sales representative. Maybe, he's trying psychology 101 on me but it sure is working!