I consider myself to be a pretty advanced user, I program for Apple platforms professionally, I've had an iPhone for years, and before I read this article I had no idea that the alarm didn't respect the mute switch. Makes me extremely grateful that I don't use the built-in alarm. When I flip the mute switch, it's because I don't want the phone to make any noise. An exception for music/movies makes since, because I'm requesting it right then and there. An exception for alarms makes no sense to me, as it's something you set previously and, as the unfortunate concert-goer experienced, something you may have forgotten.

That switch on the phone has one purpose in life: to keep my phone quiet when I'm in a situation where I don't want it to make noise. Alarms really should not override that.