DaveC:

Some people feel that without a manual transmission the driving experience is seriously diminished. There's really nothing to debate or hope to persuade, it is a statement of fact by those individuals.  Porsche has determined, at least for the moment, that offering a manual transmission to satisfy those individuals is not a priority, whatever the reasons. I welcome the PDK in the GT3 but why should I take issue with those who prefer the manual and regret its omission?  The larger issue regarding whether cars have become over burdened with technology that isolates the driver from the experience is moot as that rubicon was crossed long before Porsche put a PDK in the GT3. 

Dave, you make a good point, in some ways, Porsche was pulled into this paradigm kicking and screaming.  I realized that there would be no manual in the next generation of Porsche GT cars long before the 991 was actually released.  I drove the McLaren and realized that the car was just fast.  The next generation gearing made the car easy to drive.  I was proud that Porsche had lasted as long as they did with serious GT cars with manual boxes.

Regarding a market for manual.  I disagree with many saying Porsche had to go this route.  I think Carlos is right, they could have had the option for manual and I think there is a large market for it.  The US customers want to hang on to manual and the US is still a big Porsche market.   Some say no one would buy a manual GT3 of the PDK were so much faster but I don't buy that.  People constantly buy cars whereby there is a faster equivelant for the same dollar.  Otherwise we would all be driving GT-R