I don't think the quickened product cycle should surprise anyone. Is it a divergence from Apple's norm? Yes. But they've now been forced to change that due to competition. I LIKE IT!
Here's why I think it will happen.
1. They're no longer the only player in this arena as other competitors have accelerated their product cycle release times due to newer/better components.
2. Sales of their products start to drop off rather quickly past halfway thru the 12 month cycle. Half year cycles will refresh their products nicely and keep a good level of people buying.
3. Apple no longer have revolutionary features others can't copy. If what I observed is correct, it appears their competitors have put Apple on edge w/ their new features/functions.
In the past, it was about capturing customer base (and was ez due to weak competition), but now it's about expanding it even more while retaining what's already captured.
Asus, Samsung, Google, Windows, etc etc...even if their cycle times were 1 yr, the fact that there are so many competitors, it feels more like product cycles of 3 months!
IPAD MINI RETINA! GO GO!