Quote -
1.  Perhaps what they've done here is to tacitly admit to the fact that the DAZ line of figures are the default Poser figures. 

If that were the case, then why not just contract w/ DAZ to provide some built-in V3/M3 love up-front?

Nah - I'm thinking this thing is a lot like buying a new house with a redwood deck half-finished in the backyard - you simply lash together the rest - just enough to last until you can get the proper design and materials to tear it all out and build a brand-new deck for yourself. Whether or not you keep parts of the existing one is up to you.

SM bought their baby with something brewing in the pipeline, and they probably decided to toss it out there and get it out of the way.

Quote - SM now regards their figure-content line as being separate from the Poser program itself.  That is to say: they can make more money by selling their line of unique figures -- and the content for them -- apart from the base program.

Why re-invent DAZ, Rendo, et al when you don't really have to (e.g. revert to the old CP arrangements)? Not arguing with you, but just asking...

/P