I won't call you clueless on this... But, well, yes I will.
(in good nature of course)
UHD is the future. Just as 1080p was the future.
1920x1080 was not in demand except for front projection. A 720p 50" TV when viewed from 10' away (typical family room) does not look any better or worse than a 1080p display from the same distance. Visual acuity of the typical human eye does not resolve pixel density beyond what a 720p display can offer from that distance. Similarly, jumping to UHD won't offer one bit of improvement...
But, that has nothing to do with the price of tea in China.
The marketing behind higher resolution displays has struck a chord with consumers. Manufacturers know that 'newer' and higher resolution sell televisions, whether or not the public needs or wants it. They WILL pay a premium for higher resolution displays. This is why you see every single major consumer electronics manufacturer getting on this bandwagon. Samsung and Sony are the big guns, but we've already seen lower priced deliveries from other manufacturers. There is a race on this one to deliver UHD displays to consumers as quickly as possible, and you better believe, there are tons of people who are genuinely excited about this one.
Do I think UHD is stupid? For the most part, I really do. I have much higher expectations of what I want from a display (better colors, better black levels, OLED anyone?) but those features don't sell displays. The BETTER image from plasma displays has not been enough to push more manufactures into making them. They build what sells, and in the next five years, that will be UHD... until it is the standard.
As for Sony... They generally put more on the line in terms of new product than almost any other manufacturer, but they do so because they have amazing success with products that consumers often think 'fail'. Even silly products like "Memory Stick" sell millions of units a year and make them a great deal of money. But, this isn't a Sony product, it's a display resolution and it will become the standard which everything will move towards whether or not it is necessary.
There's not even a competitor on this one. It's not Sony vs. other technology. It's industry vs. the world, and the world is demanding UHD even though they don't need it. They will buy it and the industry will deliver. Kind of silly I know.