Until they alter the deal. And pray they don't alter it further. Being unable to see possible evolutions but talking about "instant gratification" is a beautiful contradiction.
Whether it's essential or not is up to the user, who should be able to load whatever operating system they want (enabling them to bypass the restriction) on their bootloader-unlockable device.
Why should the bootloader come locked? That's restricting freedom isn't it by preventing those without a few minutes to unlock it from having true freedom.
I'm not sure how an unlockable bootloader that comes locked and a signed and verified software only that can be unlocked is actually fundamentally different.
