There was a thread[1] recently in which a Linux (specifically systemd) bug was capable of bricking motherboards. ACPI bugs can cause overheating, failure to enter sleep mode, etc. In a perfect world of open source firmware this wouldn't be an issue, but until then the cover-your-ass behavior makes sense.
Does the cost of replacing a few bricked machines outweigh the reputation cost? Probably not, but it's easy to understand the liability issues that arise from non certified OS's.
The way I see it the firmware has been implemented incorrectly - I don't think there's anything in the spec but shouldn't clearing all values == a reset to default, not a non-booting device?
Does the cost of replacing a few bricked machines outweigh the reputation cost? Probably not, but it's easy to understand the liability issues that arise from non certified OS's.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11008449