I'm not sure I'm understanding the purpose of the argument regarding whether or not this issue is important depending on whether or not it affects pro-level users.
Although I understand the sentiment in that that is certainly their target audience with the MBP, it's naive to suggest that a defective product should be left defective because a subset of the userbase doesn't use the product in a way that presents the issue. Apple products, for good reason (although arguably recently there's been a dip in consistency), are respected and touted as quality pieces of hardware. It "just works" if I remember correctly. It shouldn't require pro-level users being affected to determine whether or not the issue is important enough to fix -- if the speakers are popping for a large enough userbase, it's an issue that needs to be fixed.
Obviously everything is going to have it's issues and nothing is perfect. Some initial issues require some patience, and I think the biggest weight on Apple here is the trust that they're going to fix it with as much transparency as they can allow us. All people should be mature enough to understand this -- however it's still important to bring up the apparent or disruptive issues that take away from the overall (even perceived!) experience of such a product. No one should spend over $3000 on a laptop and have to "deal" with popping when skipping YouTube. Particularly when that is what is most likely going to present the case even for pros (in a hotel room, etc). It's a quality defect which it is now apparent affects enough users that it should be expected to be fixed.
People shouldn't be running around as a prophet of Apple's demise as a result of it -- I mean, just let them get their energy out and move on. However that doesn't mean that the issue is still not there. I mix and produce with either monitors or headphones, so it doesn't affect me in that sense, but when I'm using my MBP more casually off the desk (netflix, youtube) I don't want to have to use headphones to avoid a popping sound (which could potentially be damaging the speakers over a long enough period of time -- I'm not sure about the physical engineering of the hardware so take that statement with a grain of salt).
I didn't return the product (I exchanged my first one though before we had more conclusive understanding of the issue) because it's a great product otherwise. It doesn't mean I still don't enjoy Apple products, and it doesn't mean I think future Apple products are worthless garbage. I still expect that my speakers don't pop though, because I spent a lot of money expecting a high-end product. And it is, don't get me wrong -- but the expectation of proper function is still there even if I'm not experiencing it in my daily use. Just knowing it's there can affect how I feel about the purchase.
All that being said, we should also remember that everyone has different limits and levels of patience so we need to look at these issues objectively - do the speakers work properly? It seems not. So therefore whether or not it matters to one or another is irrelevant when we're talking about the product and the product only.
</opinion>
