I'd say this because you see many of the very best players hitting it on the fall long after it reached the apex or with their severe Western grips they actually play it at the apex, the highest point.
Here is John Yandell in his superb analysis of the Fed Forehand.
Yandell at Tennisplayer.net
In the end what you gain by emulating the Fed way is to stay close to the baseline and play everything early thereby cutting the angle of travel and increasing your angle by being closer to the net. It also allows you to effectively speed up your shots by shortening the time it takes it back to your opponent.
