The problem is that we're not the core audience for comics. I don't know what the statistics are, but I'm willing to bet that this is being pitched at a predominantly male readership in its late teens and early twenties, willing to spend a fairly large chunk of cash on comics every month. That isn't me, or most of the people I know, so pleasing me is pretty low on DC's list of priorities. I'd imagine that applies to most people here.
I think that they will alienate a proportion of older readers, but any change will do that anyway - so if they're going to do a major reboot, I'm guessing that they feel they might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, and dispense with everything that "detracts" from their plans.
