It's worth noting that Nokia have had self-updating operating systems (ie. over-the-air) for years now. Admittedly, I wouldn't expect it to get much of a note in this article, but it's definitely not something that nobody has pulled off yet.
What he doesn't mention are the reasons Apple doesn't need to cut the cord- it helps their ecosystem. I need to install iTunes (and maybe Quicktime, maybe I check out the iTunes Store, maybe I'm doing it on my Mac). I'm sure the future is headed towards iOS devices that don't need a PC, but the alternative right now is not as painful for Apple as it is for consumers. And truth be told, plugging in a USB cable once in a while is not that painful for me either.