I agree with the author; most people don't bother cracking the case on any computer they own. We're in the minority on this one and as the author said, I'd rather have a MBP with Retina Display than an easy to service/upgrade previous generation MacBook Pro (or any other brand for that matter).
My cars have become increasingly difficult to service myself over the years. When I bought my first car over twenty years ago I could do routine maintenance on it myself. Now when I open the hood of my Acura the whole engine compartment is covered and pieces must be removed to service it. This car is the most expensive computer I've ever bought and I'd wager it's even harder for the average user to service than the new MacBook Pro!
But when the tire wears out, you don't have to go to a special service ship just to get a better set of treads!
This mac book lockdown is akin to them locking out the tires of a car, so that the average person cant change it themselves, even tho theres no reason to do so other than as an anti-competitive measure.
To put the car analogy straigth I would compare changing the tires with replacing the power adapter. I'm not interested in adding a turbo in my outback like I'm not interested in adding more ram in my laptop.
My cars have become increasingly difficult to service myself over the years. When I bought my first car over twenty years ago I could do routine maintenance on it myself. Now when I open the hood of my Acura the whole engine compartment is covered and pieces must be removed to service it. This car is the most expensive computer I've ever bought and I'd wager it's even harder for the average user to service than the new MacBook Pro!