"But it's only a matter of time before DAZ makes an announcement saying "We have been vastly successful with the industry standard over x years, and it is more profitable.  That is why we plan to slowly phase out hobbyist standards and prices over the next year/2 years."

This speculation is based entirely on the concept that the hobbyist will not want the most advanced and highest quality products and that they as hobbyist would prefer a lower level of potential than the "professional". That they should not aspire to higher standards and should be satisfied with no improvements simply because they are considered "hobbyists". So far the very opposite is true based on the acceptance of the standards represented by G3F and Iray. I think the reality is that most artists be they pro or hobby always aspire to improving and embrace anything that they believe will let them do that. I don't see the hobbyist market declining any because of increased standards. Nor do I expect the growth of the hobby market to slow even a little bit because people are being given more advanced tools to use to create their art.

www.Calida3d.com
Daz studio and Poser content creators