My 6-speed and 7-speed freewheels do have the larger cogs in back, but are 52/39 up front. I can deal with hills better on them, but then again, I set up my 8-speeds to go fast, not climb. I have a 9-speed, but it's range is no wider than than my 6-speed and 7-speed bikes, using the two largest rings.
I think the gear selections were, and are still, based on getting the greatest gear flexibility for the bike's intended market. I think all these extra speeds now are just trying to do the same thing, and have gotten just a little carried away with helping us stick to a metronome cadence. That's no fun, but I'm sure that's what the market wants, or they wouldn't do it.