Why do McIntosh come with cheap plastic remotes?

I have a C2500 purchased as NOS factory sealed box in January of this year. The remote does not look like the one in Users Manual and it appears to have been upgraded during the production cycle.  The ID number is HRO85 and it's of the same high quality as my Esoteric gear. 

The worst remote in from older Musical Fidelity.  It was very cheap and they used a RF format that does not allow a user to replace it with a universal remote.  I really liked the 308cr pre-amp and would still be using it if the remote was still alive.  That remote was so bad, I took out to the garage and beat it to bits with a hammer.  Outstanding Therapy!