Like many people in rural areas I depend on comparatively expensive
Mobile Internet with a very restrictive usage policy.
I also often have to use modestly powered computers ( i.e netbooks). So,
90% of my browsing is done with "Load pictures automatically" unchecked.
However, when I finally reach the page I am interested in I then have to
change the preferences turning it on and then refresh, go back into
preferences and turn it back off. This becomes very tedious after 20
minutes of browsing.
I suspect there is a much larger "dial up" customer base than you
may expect.