Well, I don't know why the reach rules are different in 4E then
As for the attack bonus, I can live with it. It just means they've chosen to focus on other aspects to give the Fighter his 'Figherishness' and the Wizard his 'wizardishness'
HOW the game plays is a far bigger deal to me, than the perception of attack bonuses or reach rules. IF those work well within the given system I am not going to complain about the change.
As for the AC vs Attack question...we can't really say yet. Consider also that everyone has 1 attack per round barring the taking of Feats or special Powers.
Oh, and an addendum: Proficiencies now give a bonus to hit with certain weapons. Far more is put into the actual weapons (High Crit, Versatile, Prof 1-3, etc.) so your weapon choice is actually a choice and will impact just how you fight and such. That is COOL. (Like proficient with rapier gives +3 to hit, though anyone can use a rapier its the guy who is proficient who can utilize it best.)