All this tells me is avoid Asus products. If they can, they're going to lock me in. Rather find someone else to give money to.
Right. That they are continuing to have it be compatible with their previous offerings, while also making it compatible with anything else on the market is a sign of lock in, not them attempting to avoid screwing any customers.
I must admit, I am a bit of an ASUS fanboy though. I have my motherboard and laptop both from them, and look to them as to where the market will likely go. After all, they pushed M.2, U2., and started the real push for LED lighting. Not to mention that they were some of the first to ship USB 3.1 with motherboards (Admittedly on a PCIE card). So full disclosure: I like what they do and give them plenty of money. But I think this is trying to push the envelope while making it work for the majority of users, not a step towards lock in.