Glass is the one of the main reasons why I prefer Apple’s wares over that of the others.
Combined with the advantage of a beautifully flat, glossy, scratch-resistant screen, the optical clarity is unbeatable. Plastic simply cannot match. These advantages alone are significant enough to persuade an owner to take extra care of such glassy products.
Plastic displays may accommodate a more diverse variety in terms of shape, but the crisp, neat and clean bevelled edges of the glass that Apple uses more than makes up for the inability to sculpt glass into funky, tacky shapes.
An additional disadvantage plastic poses is the formation of moulding artifacts - this is clearly visible when you hold any plastic screen product in polarised light. Glass doesn’t suffer as much, if even.
If Apple switches over to plastic because of this stupid lawsuit, it will be a loss for excellent functional and industrial design.
You have me considering purchasing this phone because of the glass. I choose eyeglasses with glass instead of plastic lenses for pretty much the reasons you describe, so it makes sense. Maybe all the phone needs is a warning printed permanently on it saying that the glass just might break if the phone drops. I don't think anyone would not buy the phone for that. Even if they would, there must be a way for Apple to substitute in plastic for a small fee.