This looks really hype-y. AFAICT a "merged" binary is just a statically linked one. The only problem it solves is a self-inflicted one - failure of the old static linker to prune or de-duplicate stuff in linked libraries (particularly ObjC-specific stuff). It notably does not solve the main problem with static linking - old insecure code which would have been fixed with an updated dynamic library but is instead "stranded" by having already been copied into executables (or bundles and no reasonable person would quibble about that) never to change again. Also: provenance, supply chain, etc.
Yes, I'm aware that superkuh beat me to this last point, and also that updating dynamic libraries can also cause breakage. But I still think it's important to note that this isn't really advancing the state of the art like Apple would like you to believe. It's just a new middle-of-the-road approach with its own possibly-positive tradeoffs and pitfalls. Nothing here that wasn't already considered at least thirty years ago, and whether they were right or wrong to choose another path is less relevant than the fact that it's not new.
Yes, I'm aware that superkuh beat me to this last point, and also that updating dynamic libraries can also cause breakage. But I still think it's important to note that this isn't really advancing the state of the art like Apple would like you to believe. It's just a new middle-of-the-road approach with its own possibly-positive tradeoffs and pitfalls. Nothing here that wasn't already considered at least thirty years ago, and whether they were right or wrong to choose another path is less relevant than the fact that it's not new.