I see it at work all the time- where some kid gets a poor intake setup and doesn't understand what he's doing. Most of the intake setups I see are setup by people who have heard that the pod filter gives them 5-7 BHP (the package says that! It has to be true) and they get a generic or el-cheapo pod filter, some piping and run it somewhere... anywhere it'll fit and when they get on the butt-dyno they feel the power and the "better throttle response". They have no clue what their IAT is like (what's IAT?) or if they have good flow where they shoved it in but they do it anyway. I also see articles online that generalize every pod filter based on one test and youtube videos that "debunk" the pod filter myth based on a dyno run that shows that peak HP is unchanged between the OEM intake and the pod filter. They don't show the torque curve or compare the entire curve before and after. I'll even trade peak HP for a flatter curve and gains in the RIGHT areas.
As for the clueless kids. Ah hell, they enjoy it, they won't notice the drop in HP and the extra noise increases their enjoyment of the car so who cares anyway? In time they may read a forum post that turns on a bulb inside thier brain and they do it right, but as long as you enjoy your car, does it really matter on the street?
I don't know if an expensive panel filter is better or worse, but I know that a properly designed pod filter can be better. Don't generalize based on limited information. Every car is different and not every pod filter is created equal.