I have to agree with Kyuuketsuki. If you don't like the way the UI looks, that's fine. But if you can't figure out how to use it, you have another issue. You really aren't trying, or don't know how to experiment. There is a limit to what "intuitive" means. I spent a little over a day with it months ago in beta to figure out to do everything I normally do on my computer. Don't like the looks, fine. But don't just make up bad excuses about it being hard to get into if you can't be bothered to try.
Back to the topic of the article, I find it odd that they couldn't find time to squeeze in a relatively simple thing such as a central hub for notifications. I can imagine it being a bit of a crunch, but at the same time it's sort of a starting point, not a late add-on (at least not at this point in smartphone development). Not a deal breaker, which I guess is the feeling they're hoping for, but at the same time it would make one think twice, which I doubt they want.