Probably this was not something Apple wanted to do, but felt they had to do. While the pro segment is small, it is very vocal. Without this expectation management maneuver, we would have been waiting for something to happen on the Mac Pro side at each of the following launch events - and then the feeling disappointed when they did not deliver.
Exactly and with thoughts from the vocal pro side compounding over the next 1-2 years... better to address it now and make it clear that they're listening.
