I'm sure most people hit the maps from a search, not just to drag the map around...
I know people who spend hours dragging the map around in Google Earth. And while I'm sure that a lot of people are going to the terrain maps via a search, there's most certainly another large chunk of people on there just dragging the maps around (I do it myself in a number of mashups/web apps that I visit regularly).
Given the post's examples, I think the critique is more than warranted, and I also think you're underestimating the benefit of prioritizing the labels.
Consider this: if paper maps disappear (along with the newspapers), shouldn't there be something marking the seas, mountains, and deserts?
I know people who spend hours dragging the map around in Google Earth. And while I'm sure that a lot of people are going to the terrain maps via a search, there's most certainly another large chunk of people on there just dragging the maps around (I do it myself in a number of mashups/web apps that I visit regularly).
Given the post's examples, I think the critique is more than warranted, and I also think you're underestimating the benefit of prioritizing the labels.
Consider this: if paper maps disappear (along with the newspapers), shouldn't there be something marking the seas, mountains, and deserts?