"Utter garbage AOE" is hyperbole though. Having no idea what the numbers will look like, or the encounters, you simply cannot say that.
There is merit to making choices have an impact. If the solution to everything is to just AOE it down, and there is no variation to it, then the best option will always be the same (making the class/spec that does this the best, well... the best). If they change this dynamic to include more variables (sometimes pure AOE is better, sometimes cleave is better) we may have a situation where the meta is less rigid. But when cleave is pretty much interchangeable with AOE, we end up with the situation where casters just get boned. Tuning won't fix that.
If you're instinct is to simply think "Blizzard can't do it right, they never do anything right!" well, it's kind of hard to argue anything. There comes a point where you either give them the benefit of the doubt to at least try, or you just have to accept the system and its flaws the way it is.