RockCarver

Mr.Fink
Your personal preferences aside, 57% of houses over 300k(last years real estate stats) have stone counter tops. Most of these are granite or marble although soft stone (soap stone slate etc..) is making large inroads due to the muted colors and being "trendy".
Remember that stone has been used for THOUSANDS of years for many building applications and still remains the greenest, most durable material for working surfaces. With literally thousands of colors and patterns to work with in design applications.
If you had maintenance issues with your tops then it was either NOT granite or it was sealed improperly or with a poor quality sealer. More than likely the counters were gneiss or juperana(metamorphic stone) not igneous
Like any product stone sealer has varying quality and life span usually from 1 year to as long as 25 years. I recommend a sealer with at least a ten year life span to ensure minimum maintenance issues.
As an owner and fabricator / installer of stone products for the last 22 years I must protest your inferences that granite is on the way out. It has always been and will continue to be the preferred material of discerning designers and owners the world over.