Taken from
Wikipedia
So first up, we have established that just because something is a fact, does not preclude it from being an insult.
Now, something that is apparent from this thread is that some people will find that opening line to be an insult, and others won't - Fact.
The ability to understand why someone else would find something insulting, regardless of whether you personally find the comment insulting, is by definition, a function of emotional intelligence.
Therefore if someone wants to argue that the OP's comment cannot be interrpretted as an insult leaves 2 possibilities:
1) the person either cannot empathise with the person who perceived the insult (lack of emotional intelligence).
or
2) the person is intentionally feigning ignorance (being disingenuous) in order to argue the point.
Simple logic.