i've seen this dude's name mentioned recently a lot and i don't get why people have been talking about him when his actions are the common mistakes that a lot of newbies have been making and nobody talked about any of them. basically that is most of the topics created in tech support board!
Because he is a celebrity, and people generally talk/care more about something that happens with a celebrity rather than with strangers. And in this case some people almost celebrate it, because Peter Schiff criticizes Bitcoin often, even though like you say - it's a mistake that happens to newbies quite often. IMO it's a problem that isn't addressed enough, I think wallet software - regardless if it's a site, an app or a desktop wallet, they all should have a page with red border and big warning site that tells people in upper case letter to back up their keys or their coins will be lost forever.