I think everyone is pretty disappointed with the 9800 series. From a business stand point it's by far the best decision to make. If they were to release a new core, ATI would gain a HUGE second move advantage on R&D by reverse engineering and free research. By making ATI make the first move they are hoping to give themselves a second mover advantage in the event that the core they have prepared isn't good enough to beat them.
What we really need is for ATI to get back in the game to drive progression in the industry.