I am not a CI user and I am glad of it. It is better to have hearing aids so that you can change the kind of hearing aids that she would be looking for if she want a different brand from different company. Going through the operation to have your brain implanted take a lot of trauma and trying to get it mapped and a bunch of other electrical devices like batteries and etc. Then she decided that she was not happy with it and want to change her brand because of the guy's experience with his CI that work really great for him. It cost a lot of money and that is precisely why they need her money to have her implanted. Yes, everyone is different and hearing have different degrees of hearing loss.
I think you should just talk with her about it and not be afraid to hurt her feelings. I think she will appreciate your concern about why she want to change to another company. All I am suggesting that your friend can be assured that she has to accept her deafness no matter what along with her not perfect voice. You can make the decision from all the Aders who have CI and do have experience which you and I don't have that experience. 
