I find it disturbing when an innocent word, moreover clearly used in an ironic context, is seen as an insult.

Please notice that the freedom of choice goes both ways. In this case, the choice of an OS was made by the GPD team, not some big retail chain or a specific OS producer. If you decide to build a machine, you can put whatever OS you damn please on it. So can they.

<rant>
The same goes for bundled features, BTW. If my local corner shop decided to throw in a pocket calculator with every kilo of apples I buy there, it is their damn choice and any stationery shop selling calculators has no right to complain. It is my choice if I use it or throw it away. In the same way, if an OS producer decides to bundle a browser, a text processor or a rocket launcher in their OS, it is their choice. Any whining about "monopoly" is just that, whining.
</rant>

gerbick has covered most of what I was going to say next.