True, it is rather harder to have mastery over the new machines but I have seen people in labs "freezing" because the computer stuck and they didn't know how to troubleshoot even after they were instructed several times. Or a centrifuge needing a rubber band replacement and having to wait for another "expert" to do a simple task.

Again, the point is knowing a little bit about everything. You don't have to know how to build the darn centrifuge.