ESC key is the default in vim, most vim users do use it.
The other anecdote is I've been using vim for about 15 years, and use esc daily. I am constantly in multiple vim environments - different servers, different clients, different OS, etc. I don't have the luxury of saying "I'm going to install all my default vim keybindings and plugins on every vim installation I ever use". Walking someone else over the phone who has to do vim - I need to count on some standard defaults being there, and 'esc' is one.
So yeah - some of you "power users" - fine - you've never touched ESC in 20 years - good for you. You're in the minority.
Vim users that use escape to leave insert mode are not exactly a majority of Mac users. Also, many people have been complaining about the location of Escape for such an important command. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4416512/why-use-esc-in-vi...
Having said that, I use Escape myself in Vim - you know what? I'll adapt.
This has nothing to do with the new MBP being unsuitable for developers. This is about power users being forced to abandon ingrained habits.
I'm not even a power user, & after 25 years, I just know the basic few commands that you need to do anything - insert, delete, search/replace, save, & quit.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!
See, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi#Interface
End insert or Replace mode, go back to Normal mode. Finish abbreviation.
Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train yourself to use CTRL-[.