I think the thing is that the two statements aren't really at odds.
Apple has always bent over to resolve issues for customers if they acknowledge the issue. For example, I had a pre-unibody MBP that the power button pushed through the top case. Apple very promptly took it back, replaced the top case and a few other cosmetic dings I hadn't complained about, and got it back to me.
On the other hand, Apple also has a long history of refusing to acknowledge some issues and giving the customer the run around on them, which is the type of complaint in this article.
>I remember an Apple that bent over backwards to understand its customers’ point of view and stretched itself to meet the high expectations it sets.