Writing a launcher takes work. I don't think it's ever strange to expect payment in return. Just because Google wrote a launcher at some point in the past doesn't mean that all future programmer's work in that area should be released for free.
I happen to think this particular launcher is a gimmick, but it's clear that they put work into it and that it's very different than what Google ships.
I happen to think this particular launcher is a gimmick, but it's clear that they put work into it and that it's very different than what Google ships.