They just don't make them like they used to. I love the Sean Connery Bond movies, but who could carry that type of film off these days? James Coburn did a good job in the Flint movies, but those also came out in the 60's. Most of the Bond films since then pale in comparison. I'd love to see that type of movie again. A thriller without anxiety. I just don't think it'll happen anytime soon.
So they reboot, change the formula, retain what they want and discard the rest. Grim and gritty (read: realistic) sells nowadays.
Obvioulsy the films still contain some unrealistic traits but they're more grounded in reality than their predecessors, if only for the fact that technology has advanced so much as to make more of the gadgits plausible, and Craig's Bond is a serious individual in a career that would require it. Those are good things. I havn't watched Skyfall, but I certainly enjoyed the first two Craig Bonds much more than any Bond flick in recent memory.