I have no opinion about the front, but at the rear, baskets are not for me

• Baskets are not flexible. Thus, they can't be overstuffed when you need to get that last thing in, nor can you carry a watermelon (or anything else that's oddly-shaped) in one. I can do both with my nylon grocery panniers.
  
• Baskets are not waterproof. My commuting panniers are.
  
• Baskets are a permanent fixture and can't be quickly removed or changed. I have different panniers for different needs. Also, in my case, living in a third-floor walkup, it's nice to be able to remove the panniers before carrying the bike upstairs. Even empty, they add bulk when turning on the landings.
  
• I don't know about the current generations, but growing up, I was a paperboy and had Wald paperboy baskets front and rear. I hated the rattling. Unladen, people could hear me coming for a quarter-mile.

What I prefer and works very well for me is a dual-siderail rear rack.

• I can attach only what I need for the day or the ride. There's no excess to drag through the headwinds, and it's smaller and easier to park at work.
  
• The lower siderails make it easy to mount the panniers and still use a trunk bag.
  
• Lower siderails yield a lower center-of-gravity.