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Having lived in Europe for most of the last 5 years, I'm sure Mike is correct in suggesting that one factor in BMW's service interval changes has been due to environmental compliance. There is a much stronger emphasis on 'green' initiatives out of Brussels on behalf of the EU generally, and some countries (including Germany) are especially sympathetic to 'green' issues, even to the extent that they have major political parties with that focus as the backbone of their party platform.
Having said all that, BMW is like any other manufacturer and enjoys legal limits on its warranty-related and even safety-related liabilities. It is not going to experience legal liability if its transfer case, diff, AT or MT suffer excessive wear at 100,000+ miles due to lack of lube oil replacement. Comments like Dave's are always reassuring to hear - long, trouble-free mileage while following the newer, more limited maintenance regimen. Unfortunately, there are other owners who have had different experiences (which Mike Miller addresses to some degree in the OP).
It's just my opinion but I break the 'right level of maintenance' into 2 categories: 1) If planning short-term ownership or leasing, obviously do only what's recommended...but obviously, this may have a ripple effect on Owner #2 or #3; 2) If you want to leave open the door to long-term ownership (not likely for most new car buyers these days), then the choice is whether you want to put the odds more in your favor...or not. Running engine lube oil without filter or oil replacement for your first 20K km, or choosing to believe diff lube oil is 'lifetime' capable are simply choices that don't help your odds (rather than some kind of death sentence that applies across the board).
BTW it doesn't make sense to post a copy of Mike Miller's .pdf file here because he routinely edits and updates his commentary on maintenance. Far better to contact Mike and get his most recent edition (for which I've offered his email address in an above post).
Jack
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