Part of the improvement is smarter switches. It used to be that if the power went out due to a tree/branch on a line you had to wait for a crew to come out and fix it. Now in many cases, switches automatically reroute power via other lines and you get back on quickly.

My power flickered off for a few seconds at least 10 times, probably more, on Monday. Annoying because it reset the internet router each time, but way better than losing power for hours at a time.