Blizzard, you are making a mistake...

With the latest patches and 4.0, Blizzard is heading in the wrong direction for this game I've been playing since Day 1. I'll try to convey how I and my friends feel about the changes going on around us.
Apologies for the length...
> Yes, WoW is a Subscription Service
First, I acknowledge that Blizzard is company, and it has created a very profitable subscription service. Companies that have subscription services generally focus on two business goals: subscriber acquisition and retention. (of which, things like content, gameplay, etc... play a tremendous role) Yes, things like service cost play a role, but I'm focused here on the subscription aspect.
I'm unsure which of those two subscription-oriented goals is more important to Blizzard, but it seems the changes being made are squarely targeted at new subscriber acquisition, and making it easier for 'new' subscribers to choose any class they wish, level it to 85, and be able to perform just about any role without having to level another alt. (for instance, with dual talent specs, an account holder with 1 toon can tank/heal/dps)
This would serve to make the effort required to level a new toon more appealing to a person new to the game. These new people probably don't know much about the difference in classes, but Blizzard has helped out here a lot by making the classes so similar, it won't matter.
> Who ordered Vanilla? I ordered the Special.
This is forcing an unnatural balance on classes to make them very similar. Shared-Buffs are a great example of this. But, it's starting to raise questions like, "Why should I ever play my Alt when there's very little left special about it?" And by "special" I mean that special fun ability, that special damage output, or that fun overpowered aspect of the class.
This is being taken away, and it's a mistake.
Additionally, those people that took the time to level a bunch of alts are feeling like they're left holding a bunch of toons that all do the same thing. Retention of subscribers is a little harder when those subscribers are bored and they don't feel like leveling Class Type X will provide them much benefit over classes they already have.
> Micro-Balanced Classes are Not Always a Good Thing
In order to allow these new subscribers to feel like they can take part in the "Bring the person, not the class", Blizzard has created a state where classes are so balanced that the game, and class differences, have become inane and boring. It's quite silly that buffs are now so balanced that the "specialness" of classes is gone. I even think it's silly shamans ever got a polymorph ability, but I'm old school.
"Why spend too much thought on what class to level? Heck, they'll all do the same damage, so just pick whatever... But don't worry, the sequence of buttons you hit will be different."
Some will get caught up in Vanilla-sprinkle details like, "Warlocks can summon!" I'm speaking in generalities today.
And don't get me wrong, each class has what Blizzard calls that class's special abilities. But these are generally mechanics-based and apportioned appropriately to balance with other classes.
I'm also not stating classes should be imbalanced. Go ahead and balance to the macro-level, but leave the special sauce alone.
> One slightly O.P. Spell for a Class really is 'Ok'.
Blizzard is creating such a vanilla world that all my alts are getting their special abilities neutered. Yes, the old Beacon of Light was possibly OP and made Pallies great tank healers. Yes, Mind Sear was good for aoe. Yes, Starfall was OP. I don't think people minded druid tanks with crazy HP.
But those spells were FUN because of that. Each class generally had 'that thing' they were great at. And Blizzard is taking those fun things away. "Don't bring the class," they say.
They also took away a reason to level a new class because of that special 'great' ability. (certainly, some people leveled the existing anomaly, the one-button arcane blast mage) More power to them, though it's a little over the line.
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