PvP is a sideshow. Just because there is more transparency on the features they are holding off on doesn't mean the philosophy's changed. There's probably a million other things they'd like to have in the game that they also are either holding off on or cut. Should they have delayed D2 until LoD was ready? Should WC3 not have come out until they had wrote out the next part of Arthas's story? Should Vanilla WoW have been delayed until BGs or more raids were ready?
The point is, sometimes, the release date line has to be drawn or you're going to delay your project to hell. It's not about a 'complete' game, because there's no such thing. It's about a satisfying game, and PvP is not necessary, in Blizzard's eyes, for a satisfying D3 experience.