You have to admit, compared to most any tool out there, vim has one of the worst newbie experiences, given its popularity.
Even a terminal window allows you to type help to get something to work with. VIM replies with "Left, end of word, Right, paste after" which in most cases is nearly a NOP.
I believe what he is trying to say is that it would make sense to figure out how to make the initial experience less daunting without giving up the power it provides.