If Blizzard takes the high road on this one, I'll fully be willing to admit it's not that big of a deal.
But with Kotick at the helm....I can't say with surety that Blizzard wont' do things like: observe the sale price of good quality items and alter drop rates to maximize their take. I can't say that the fundamental reward of the game, the loot, isn't now a giant playing chip that Blizzard/Activision can move around at will, for reasons other than what's fun.
And that's why I'm unhappy about the always-online, because it sends the signal that no one can opt out, period, and any changes they make to the game based on the performance of their digital casino are one everybody gets saddled with, even if we "only use the in-game gold auction house" or "play it like D2."
And seriously. I'm not rich. I don't want to play D3 with friends and have a piece of loot no one can use drop, find the price is pretty hefty and go "Ok, who is the most broke out of all of us?" I remember all the problems and butt hurt that came out of WoW raids overly purely game reasons. If there'd been an easily attainable, verified, sanctioned way to turn loot into cash almost instantly in WoW, raids would have never gotten anything done once a piece of non-soulbound equipment dropped.
Financial hardship or lack of it are the reasons people play games in the first place, to get away from real life and its real lifeiness and go to a place where everyone is equal except for their skills and their brains. Even if it's not a balance issue, or an OP issue, it's kind of a moral/ethical issue to me. I've waited 10 years for this to become a reality, since the golden age of MMOs. And I have to say, now that it's here courtesy of Blizzard, I don't feel comforted.