You forgot the time the developer spent writing and testing an app to make it easier for people to update their Minipro. What's that worth? IMHO, that time is worth a lot more than the cost to buy a couple of one-dollar MCUs, program them in a programmer, and ship them out to someone.
And don't forget the high risk of the $35 chip: Removing the warranty seals, finding someone skilled enough to unsolder and solder in the new chip without breaking anything and crossing your fingers that everything will be ok when you put it all back together again. You won't find someone to do that for $15 unless perhaps a friend can do it for you.
$50 for an app to update your Minipro is cheap compared to the $35 chip option. I know you were hoping, but seriously?