Not because it doesn’t break the Manifesto (it does) or doesn’t add a grind (it does) etc.
They’re planning on raising the level cap. They’ve said as much.
So you’re going to have to periodically replace/upgrade your gear ANYWAY.
Where’s the outrage about the raised level cap? Because THAT is an artificial game-extending and unnecessary act. They never did THAT in GW1. And they don’t need to do it here. You can add zones and dungeons and jumping puzzles and whatnot at all level brackets (gw1 did it, COH did it, etc) without making everyone drop their gear and go fishing for new stuff again.
Game enjoyment increases as time spent on the forums decreases.