I thought it was odd that the article claimed that you can't export data from SkyDrive. It's dead simple to "export" since the data is synced to your computer anyway!

What if your computer dies? Is there an easy way to get the data back? What if your computer dies and you've moved to another country? (These are honest questions - I'm not asking rhetorically.)

The main feature of skydrive is dropbox-ish cloud storage that syncs a folder on your computer with their online storage. To "recover" you can just log in to a web browser and download the files.

Which is the expected solution, assuming Microsoft doesn't try to prevent you from doing so as a result of your location.

I guess the "expected solution" would be that you can install the desktop client on a new computer, log in to your account and start syncing from anywhere in the world.

This definitely needs to be emphasized.

It's like selling water and extracting all the H2O before.