(1) I'm not talking about multipools. Taking advantage of difficulty is something entirely different. Although now that I think about it, the lower power consumption is already built into price parity so the point really only applies to mining farms that pay very large electricity costs (e.g. European levels). My own view was screwy because I don't pay for electricity so I wasn't thinking about it.

(2) Time frames have shortened considerably. Prior to Dec. 2013, being first meant being the only one for months or even over a year. Now a new clone coin comes around every hour. First to market means less.