Your logic doesn't connect. First you say you don't think that SWTOR will be about server firsts and progression. Then you say "they have a harder content level too". News to you, the server firsts and the progression will be played in the "harder content". The story content will be sold in the normal modes, to people who do not wish to dedicate the time needed to learn hardmodes with a group.
Also, people arguing about gear. :/ Really? Do people really still think it's about the gear? People who want hardmodes aren't on some hell bent rage and agenda that wants to stop casuals from EVER getting gear. Give them all the gear they want, I really couldn't care less. I don't know why people are still so stuck up over what color their gear is, and why people get upset when "omgah everyone has full epix dis is horiblz."
The fact is, the people who want to do hard modes NEED better gear because the content they do is HARDER. We don't want better gear just so we can say "my gears better than yours" (although I'm sure that there are a few children who do this), we want better gear because we need better gear. If the gear requirement for normal modes and hard modes were the same, then hard modes wouldn't really be that much harder than normal modes. There would be no artificial gear progression after you gear up from normal modes.