I'm not disagreeing with your statement but same time there is so much reason behind WHY sdcard usage is removed from devices today and Android has moved away from it. Look at the problems the S3/S4 and others are having with sdcards. They crash, they are unpredictable, the file structure setup is different. It requires the apps devs to code it into their apps to support it properly.
While I fully agree about the need for storage, sdcards isn't the answer. Cloud isn't completely the answer either. It comes down to the need for OEM's to bump the internal RAM to 32/64 options but that also comes at a price increase. Many people today feel paying over $199 on contract is too much, so that is why the OEM's continue to tease with 16/32 options to keep the price down.
I get what you're saying, but I disagree with the reason you give on why Android has moved away from SD support.
I bought the S3 the first day it was available. I also purchased a 64gb Sandisk class 10 SD card (you know, the red and gray one). It immediately went into the phone and I stored everything from pictures to movies to music on it.
Fast forward a year. I grabbed the S4 about a month ago. What did I do immediately? That's right, I put the same SD card in the S4 that I'd used in the S3 for a year. I'd also use that card in my Note 2 and LG OG.
Never, not once, have I had a problem with a SD card. I don't know what all these people are doing to their SD cards to corrupt them, but it isn't the phone's fault. I also believe this "problem" is overblown and not as big as websites like this make it out to be. If it does happen to you, yeah, it sucks...I'm not saying it doesn't. I'm saying it doesn't happen enough to justify OEM's removing SD support, especially when the previous model of the phone had it (and I think we can all agree the G2 is the iterative model of the OG).
The real culprit here is Google. As they've shown with the Nexus "model", they don't want phones running Android to have SD support as to force people into using cloud services (and more to the point, THEIR cloud services). I know at least one prior Nexus phone had SD support, so it's not like it's out of right field for it to happen. This is purely a way for Google to dictate how they want OEM's to design and build the phones that run Android, and I for one, hate it.
It's sad that apparently the only OEM left that's willing to offer SD support is Samsung. But, I guess their the only one big enough to do what they want and not kowtow to Google's wishes.
The lack of SD support has now removed this phone from my wish list of upcoming phones. I'll now turn my attention towards the Note 3 and next Nexus. Sure, the Nexus won't have a removable battery or SD support, but at least I know that going in.
*Ninja edit* Here's the problem I have with Google pushing everyone towards using cloud services. If carriers still had true unlimited data (I'm looking at you AT&T and Verizon), then it wouldn't bother me so much. But this sometimes feels like a conspiracy between Google and these carriers. It's a vicious circle. Google wants you to use cloud services...which uses more data. The carriers take away unlimited data and charge you or slow you down to a crawl for overages. So you either end up spending more money (by going over) or you end up with a smartphone paperweight (if you're on grandfathered "unlimited" with AT&T like me). If carriers would just bring back unlimited data, I think a lot of the outcry over no SD support would go away.
- bad because you know verizon will do something to it or charge you more for it 
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