Dot-matrix LED display panels seem bulletproof, but I just checked the catalog for the 5x7 display driver I know and use and it costs $30 per. I guess the people who have reliability and legibility concerns like those expressed in the article aren't worried about spending $15 per digit.
Yes, I'd also like to note, the market is flooded with crap. Multiple devices I've owned with these "cheap" displays have been on crappy, battery-intensive devices. The devices with simpler segment (or dot matrix) displays last longer and work better.
I get some of the points where extreme legibility trumps (nearly) all other concerns, however I'd propose the issue could have been solved more simply with more specialized segment displays.