If bitcoin's encryption is broken, it could take years before its fixed. If it is ever fixed. Encryption being broken in crypto currencies is a doomsday scenario. The only true fix to true quantum computers could be quantum level miners utilizing quantum level encryption.
Not really. A new public key algorithm could be introduced with a simple soft fork, and current ASICs are
faster than projected quantum computer clock speeds. The problem is that old and some lost coins can't be protected, since they can't be moved to post-fork addresses.
I agree with notions that quantum computers will never become a reality. There is only so much functionality that can be built into silicon or chips made with other materials. Whether limited by voltage, clock frequency or data density. I think there are hard physical and theoretical limits which could prevent quantum computers from reaching the standards their marketing brochures claim are possible.
I believe they're inevitable, but I don't think they'll be available for commercial use anytime soon. Entities who would have access to ones strong enough to threaten Bitcoin
probably won't be interested in it in the first place.
As for the actual topic, I also believe the price movement had something to do with the brief hashrate crash. I'm not sure mainstream readers would actually know that there could be a connection between quantum computers and Bitcoin unless it's explicitly mentioned in the article (and articles I've seen don't).