I don't have enough knowledge about this stuff to have an educated opinion (and I only have two ukuleles with friction tuners - a Kamaka concert and a tenor pineapple ukulele from Rick Turner's ukulele building class). I don't know much it will help, but I thought it would be fair to see the statement quoted by the OP in the context of the statements surrounding it in Dan Ho's article (entitled "The State of the Ukulele"). For convenience, I've italicized the statement quoted by the OP.
"One fascinating indicator of the evolution of ukulele design is intonation. While a big, beautiful tone is impressive, if it is out of tune, it would be the instrumental equivalent of a tone-deaf singer with a huge operatic voice. Accurate intonation could elevate a $30 laminated sapele ukulele to recording-quality status. Conversely, poor intonation can relegate a Brazilian rosewood ukulele to a beach instrument you don’t mind leaving in your
hot car while you surf.
"Precise intonation is not easily achieved on a low-tension, short-scale instrument. As I browse the walls of ukuleles in music stores, I notice that this tricky issue is being addressed—enter geared tuners, which don’t slip like the traditionally equipped friction tuners. With ratios of up to 17:1 (17 turns of the handle equal one revolution of the tuning peg), geared tuners allow minute adjustments of string tension to accurately tune open strings.
"In recent years, more and more brands are fine-tuning the intonation of fretted notes with compensated saddles, which are shaped to lengthen and shorten individual strings at the bridge (lengthening the string flattens the fretted pitches and shorting the string raises them). It is highly unlikely that you’ll find a compensated saddle on a ukulele with friction tuners, because their 1:1 ratio makes it virtually impossible to tune the open strings, which are the fundamental pitch references.
Refinements like these have inspired musicians to explore the uke’s expanded potential. Now that the ukulele is capable of playing everything from pure unisons to dissonant extended chords, its repertoire blooms in every direction. You can find printed music and recordings in almost every genre. Music supervisors are regularly programming ukulele music in films and TV programs. Commercial agencies recognize the value of the ukulele’s happy vibe when selling products. As arts-education budgets are cut, the relatively inexpensive ukulele is finding its way into elementary school classrooms
across the States, as has long been the case in Canada. Instrumentalists from across the musical spectrum have incorporated the ukulele into their sound."