direct hardware control has gone (Score 1)

"This is as bad as someone selling me a PC that won't power on or off when I push the button, but asks Microsoft for permission first..."

That's more or less what happens on most PCs now, actually - the on/off switch sends a signal to the machine, rather than actually cutting the power.

Typically, if you hold the button in, it will eventually do a "hard" power down though...

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you :)