The only thing is that buying bitcoin way back was a bit difficult in the process compared to now when one can easily buy bitcoin from an exchange and have it sent to one wallet without any stress.
I agree. To start using Bitcoin, one has to install a bitcoin core wallet on their personal computer in the old days. But today, there are dozens of Bitcoin wallets for computer and mobile devices. Anyone can install a wallet app from the app store/play store and start using Bitcoin. Also, there are hundreds of exchanges online from where users can buy Bitcoin.
I believe there were not many search results on google when someone searched with the keyword "Bitcoin exchange." But if someone knew how to install a Bitcoin core, they could have mined Bitcoin as well. I wish I knew about Bitcoin back then.