at the price that this thing will go for, one should not have to:
1. Shell out additional cash for ... ... ... when the need arises.
The positive thing is that you
*won't* have to shell out this extra cash if you don't have those needs, as opposite to a tower where everyone must pay for this stuff because it's included in the package and no way around it! Personally I'd be more pissed if I was forced to pay for a stupid optical drive that I won't ever use, and that only makes the case bigger and bulkier than it had to be!
Far from everyone (probably very few actually) will need optical drives, additional PCIe cards or replace the GFX card. Ever.
2. Deal with the clutter of all that external crap on one's desk.
For most people, especially the professionals, I'm sure there won't be much clutter of external crap on the desk. Storage is central on the network anyway and everything 99% will need is included in the case already.
Actually, what I really worry about is the copycat designs this will spawn
For sure it will. Streamlining and integration has been the trend for years, and even on x86 the peripheral controllers are moving into the CPU chip, for example.
I think this design will function as a role model and a source of inspiration even for the PC industry (that is really in a crisis right now). I think it's a great design, in all ways! This is completely in line with the time we live in!
