The mode can be changed electronically too just like the mirror lock.
This is a couple great features because it allows the camera to be used remotely without thinking about which mode it's in and if the mirror lock is enabled or disabled (if it's implented in the the software of course)
Having these features implented for the most popular models (6D and 60D/a?) would be a good thing since some users trying to move over from other software might have problems since they are used to it being just automatic.
I certainly had a lot of problems when moving from BYE to SGP with the mode dial in a random position and mirror lock off 