I actually am considering this as a gift for a friend after giving it an overview myself. I don't mind getting the absolute same Nvidia reference version but having EVGA support behind it would be a plus.

Darn.  Would have been nice to have an EVGA version.

I have a feeling that they want to avoid the fragmentation that occurred with the many different versions of the TN7. It was a cool idea to try it the way they did, but it just wasn't too practical when it came to software updates. They've also said that they're shifting their focus away from trying to get their chips in other devices and focusing more on their own products, which I honestly think is smart since they've always had trouble getting manufacturers to use their Tegra chips versus the cheaper chips coming from Qualcomm/etc. At least now they don't have to compromise just to try and appease other manufacturers.