A couple of points about the Browning Hi Power regarding its world wide popularity and its name.
First point, one of the reasons so many nations adopted the Hi Power as their service (and sometimes police arm) is because FN marketed the guns world wide, and would not just sell, but actively sought sales any and everywhere that wasn't a Soviet client state.
In this regard it was very similar to the Mauser rifles, that armed nearly every nation on Earth that didn't have a their own arms industry. All those nations bought Mausers, not SMLE's or US Krags or Springfields, because Mauser actively marketed their rifles world wide, while Great Britain and the US concentrated on arming their colonial empire (Britian) or like the US, just meeting domestic demands
Colt would sell to anyone with the money and sold licenses to make the 1911/A1 design but never marketed to the world like FN did. SO, besides being a good gun, that's one big reason why the Hi Power armed so many nations, it was MARKETING.
Next point is about the name. THe "Browning Hi Power" or the P.35, created and sold by FN (originally) is NOT (entirely) a Browning design. JM Browning began the design, created a prototype pistol, and then passed away. The design was completed (and noticably modified) by FN engineers, NOT JM Browning. (the primary FN engineer responsible has a name I have to look up or I will horribly mangle it, and I don't feel like looking it up right now, but you can find it easily enough)
Something I can remember reading (many years pre-internet) though I can no longer recall exactly where, was that FN always admitted that the Browning Hi Power wasn't designed by Browning but was named Browning in his memory.
Also have always heard that the FN engineers put in the magazine disconnect at the request of the French, who then didn't buy any when the gun got to the market. Can't say its true, and I won't say its not, but...there's been talk!
I had a commercial Hi Power in the early 80s (almost certainly a 70s production gun) really nice gun, with the original style safety. and adjustable sights. Trigger pull was horrid (three men and a boy needed to pull the trigger) and I hated the magazine disconnect (which I refuse to call a safety) but other than that, it was a great pistol, felt really good in the hand and shot "forever" before it ran dry.
13 rnd mags are no big deal today, but back then, when 7 or 8 rnds ruled the day the Hi Power just seemed to go on and on. Which bring up another point often forgotten today about the name. It was the Hi Power, NOT because of the power of the 9mm round but because of its capacity, compared to its contemporaries. Hi Power stood for high FIREPOWER (capacity).
AT a $699 price I find the new gun interesting. NO way am I going to pay more just to get one NOW.
Nor did I pay $450 to get a S&W M 29 when the MSRP was $283.50 like a friend of mine did. He had the money and was happy to spend it to get one NOW, rather than wait the 2 years the factory was backlogged at the time (1976).
You want an SA-35 now? Pay the going rate the people who have them are asking. I'm content to wait until that bubble bursts. And, it will. According to a friend of mine, who worked there part time, our Local shop had 5, sold them all at MSRP, has ordered (at least) half a dozen more and the head guy promises to sell them for the same price. Their guy who handles their internet sales is upset at the money they're "going to lose" but its not his call. I kind of like that. That shop will get my business, when I have business to give them.