I took "consumer technology" to mean "consumer-grade technology", which most certainly could include the app, regardless of how limited its userbase is - my intepretation was that (s)he was talking about quality, not public availability.
If you read the article, you'll see that:
When a new version of a runway map for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was distributed, it conflicted with an older version of the map stored on some pilots’ iPads
and:
pilots have been notified how to fix the bug, by deleting the app and re-installing it
That, right there, is consumer-grade technology and a consumer-grade fix. As opposed to well-thought-out, well-tested technology with failsafes and whatnot.
The article also says that the ipads "powered down", which would seem to indicate an issue with the consumer-grade hardware, too (assuming that's actually what happened).