"The younger crowd just wants to render neked chicks. " 

A crude generalization which ignores the many young people of delicate sensibilities and the many older folks who have horned - excuse me - honed their skills rendering countless naked Posettes and Vickies. I don't think the notion that anime can't be sexy holds water by any means either :-)

Since the original Poser figures were created by Zygote which spun off Daz, I don't think it's too remarkable that they lead the market. They've been at it a long time, they've got good marketing, a good return policy, etc. Some folks don't care for the products, but they obviously appeal to many, and that popularity translates into increased 3rd party support. IMO rather than bundling 50 figures, SM would be better served by including more accessories for the figures they have.  Apart from making a really cool orgy scene, 50 or 20 or 10 figures wouldn't  be that useful without clothing, characters, hair, etc.. Yes, I know you can convert, morph, tweak and so on, but many people want pre-built content. Daz caters to this and does a good business at it by all indications.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken