The author should try drinking loose leaf teas instead. I'm sure the gains of switching away from tea bags (which often contain whatever can be swept up off of a tea factory floor) are worth touching a hot handle.
To quote a song: "You could not feel sadness if you've never tasted joy" - perhaps, if he's content with his tea bags, we can let him drink his tea bags. Since switching, I can tell you first hand, that I can no longer drink tea bags, or even poorly steeped teas without cringing. I sound like an asshole, I know.
It is a somewhat interesting philosophical question of whether or not it's worth it to try something better if it might affect what you already enjoy.
Japan in general is a great example for optimizing people's daily lives without compromising on quality. There are many of such rituals to explore that are very specific to that country.
That being said, I love me my loose tea leaves, but it's just a different product then bagged tea, one hasn't ruined the other.
This is the second apartment I've lived in without a microwave, and I think I've missed it all of twice. Once, when I wanted some popcorn, and a second time when I was in a hurry to heat something up.
Don't get me wrong, if it was just for my lunch, I'd use the microwave, but if I was plating something for family dinner, I'd use the oven.
Plus, I mean, look at this kettle and tell me you don't want it: http://www.etsy.com/listing/97984435/retro-80s-seibel-bubble...
A distinct advantage of electric kettles over stovetop kettles is precise temperature control. High-end loose-leaf white and green tea wants 70c-82c water; Aeropress coffee wants 80c-90c.
Speed is obviously another benefit. Good electric kettles are significantly faster than stovetop kettles.
Also, electric kettles take up counter space, but stovetop kettles take up space on your cooktop. Space is more constrained on the cooktop; you probably only have 4 burners, and on my stove, if the front two burners have skillets on them, it's awfully hard to maneuver with the rear burners.
Also, I hate the ergonomics of cutesy round tea kettles, and, obviously, that's a tea kettle: most electric kettles hold more water.
I didn't realize electric kettles could control water temperature. Which one do you have? I've always just boiled water, and then let the temperature fall to where I want it, even when using an electric kettle.
Also, for me, the fact that the regular kettle is on the stovetop is actually better, because that space is almost never in use (only during cooking), and when I do need, I can temporarily shift the kettle elsewhere. My counter space, on the other hand, is always at a premium (I only have 2 squares.)
While a few companies like Mighty Leaf do offer higher quality, whole-leaf tea in bags (or rather, sachets), at that point you're paying as much as a 2x-3x premium over loose-leaf tea of comparable quality. For example, this tea from Adagio is about 16¢ per cup loose-leaf, but 40¢ per bag: http://www.adagio.com/black/ceylon_sonata.html
I'd suggest anyone who likes tea get a stainless steel mesh infuser (they're about $10) and go loose-leaf. It's worth it.