I wonder if that prevents it making that massive noise (what actually is that? Superheated steam in the water or what?) which can disturb people when you're having late night drinks.
it's nice (great to have my cuppa quicker & $70 is fine for something that will probably last years) but i wouldn't call it green, it still uses huge amounts of power (albeit less than a conventional kettle).
Just looked at the link on Oh Gizmo (which gets flagged up as having a malicous site by avast by the way) and it uses 35% less power which is a great acheivement.