Well, there was this elusive wicker basket across a chasm in the cave where little tiefling children were hiding. The chasm was too wide to cross by jumping. Mage hand could move the basket, but could not carry the basket over the chasm; it was too heavy. The solution was to shoot the basket with a crossbow until it broke and showed its contents: some gold and a jewel. The mage hand could pick these items up and trhow them across the chasm. Then the valuables could be picked up by someone with regular hands.
In this case the mage hand was useful, and was able to pick up and throw things. Maybe it has been patched recently?
