not great that they take things away, but the lower end bodies were never meant to have all of the capabilities of the higher end bodies...I think most folks purchase on the features that are most important to them. I expect that there are some things they do so as not to "steal" sales from the higher end bodies, but I also expect that they are trying to select the most desirable features for the lower end bodies to maximize sales there as well. It would make sense for Nikon to include the most desirable items possible within the price point. I am guessing that their research has probably indicated that not too many purchasers of lower models use the accessory port, so it was a cost savings that might allow other features to be included...
Every camera by every manufacturer is a compromise somewhere so you end up "ranking" the features and deciding which body has the most desirable features at time of purchase. One of those features is size and another is price - and so many others including accessory terminals, multiple card slots or dials, wifi, etc.