The fixed shells had one major advantage: being able to pull a 17" laptop and work comfortably with no risk of having the screen shattered by someone's urgent need to recline.
You can't do that in Y. Even if you go for the bulkhead, the tray table is not sturdy enough for a heavy laptop.

But yes, it came at a price: sore back, no sleep, and 2x the price of Y fare.