Bitlocker in Windows 8 or 10 is pretty simple. They may have to right-click on the drive and hit unlock but no advanced menus or anything of that nature.
The answer to your first questions - capitalism.
VR is becoming more affordable - in desktops. Laptops will always be behind this curve. New laptop prices will go down when they aren't new anymore.
If you plan on reinstalling windows from scratch, you can just put the SSD in your computer and then install Windows from a USB key.
Be sure to install all of the drivers when you're finished installing Windows!