Real talk : Is the UHD player really important ? Maybe not.
Still, even if I don't buy anymore discs, I feel it does impact the value of the machine for me as a consumer... I'd rather have the capability than not, even if it's mostly superfluous and only to buy a couple of 4k Blu Rays from time to time. In the off chance I get a new console in the next two years, that might factor in my decision.
Reading the thread, it does seem like Sony lost a few sales with this. They always seemed proud to showcase in the Playstation the expertise from their other multimedia departments, so it's surprising.