Why was the original brick separator changed? The old brick separator seemed indestructible, and would separate all bricks that I had without fail. This orange thing is dinky and flimsy compared to the others. 

So, I ask, why did LEGO think that this is better? Is the only reason the wedge?
My guess would be that they wanted to include one in more sets; so they made a smaller (cheaper) version and took the opportunity to add functionalities, such as the technic axle remover or the flat end for removing tiles easily. If I'm not mistaken, this version works on jumper plates too; which wasn't the case with the old one.