My first thought was, "Where can I buy one of the old ones they are replacing?" My second thought is that whoever wrote the article misunderstood about the size of the wheels on the old bikes being too tall for some riders. 20" is BMX size wheels/tires. Must be 26" on the old bikes.
Thoughts on the new bike: I personally don't care for it, but when you build something that has to be able to be ridden by upwards of 10000 people, you're kind of limited. The engineering on the frame looks sound, with the low top tubes that still tie into the rear frame. Big basket to carry a laptop or other peripherals is nice. Seat looks comfy for a majority of people. Overall, a good design. But if I worked at Google, I wouldn't ride one, but only because I'd have my own bike on the campus.