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@niggle
Having owned a bike with a Nexus 8 speed hub, a Carrera Subway 8, for about 8 years, and done most of my 5.6 mile each way commutes on it for about 5 years, I would say that IGHs definitely have their place in that role.
I am on the second hub after the first one had a major failure due to water getting and causing serious corrosion in the first one. I have fitted the later drive side seal design on the new hub and it has lasted twice as long as the first already. I believe the Alfine sealing is even better.
The shifter I use is the twist grip 'Revoshifter' one, which is by far the best twist grip shifter I have met and lets you shift straight from any gear to any other gear in one movement, even when stopped- very useful on an urban commute.
For commuting purposes having a bit of weight in the rear wheel is no big deal IMO and believe me maintenance is very much reduced compared to derailleur gears, especially since I switched to a 1/8" chain- all it needs is a monthly oil and adjustment about twice a year.
I do not have the same experience as cornelius_blackfoot, once a new cable has finished initial stretching over a few days the shifting stays spot on for the rest of the cable's life. Mine has a tendency to need a cable every couple of years. In winter water that has collected in the cable can freeze causing major shifting issues- not common in Cornwall but the better sealed cable end available for the Alfine would probably be a good idea in colder climates.
I actually think that an 8 sped hub is overkill for urban commuting unless it is a very hilly city, a three speed hub is cheaper, lighter, less draggy and easier to maintain. The Sturmey Archer AW and derivatives are probably favourite but the offerings from SRAM and Shimano are supposed to be OK as well.
Disc brakes are only marginally better than rim brakes IMO, the really low maintenance and reliable choice would be hub brakes, e.g. as made by Sturmey Archer.
There are far more IGH bikes available to customers in areas with higher levels of cycle commuting such as on the continent- e.g brands like Gazelle etc. I think this country has some kind of collective amnesia about utility cycling and commuting when you consider that for half a century before the rise of car use there were hordes of British workers riding their SA hub geared bikes to work, plus manufacturing and exporting our 3-speed bicycles to the rest of the world, but most of us would struggle to find one now in our LBS amongst all the 'Road' and 'MTB' exotica, which probably reflects demand.
A proper commuter/utility bike ideally would have the full works fitted as standard, i.e. hub gears, full chain case, hub brakes, hub dynamo, mudguards and rack. This will put both the price and weight up at the point of sale thus putting off the uninformed public who will probably buy a cheaper and lighter derailleur geared hybrid then spend ££s and time on adding the missing equipment and maintaining the thing.