It can also be difficult for a company so firmly rooted in one brand identity to make a 'big bold change'. Forcing this type of churn onto the company could make the organization more comfortable with change, and could lead to an actual 'big bold change'.
I don't know if any of this will happen, but large organization often have a lot more to balance than just having one designer come up with what they think is right.
This is similar to the "design a bracket for a jet engine in 3D" campaign that GE ran - that resulted in absolutely horrible contest entries from people who do not understand materials/stress/strain/vibration... but looking visually appealing to a non-techie. I am sure GE had no intention of even considering any of those "designs" for anything other than pure entertainment.
And here's the final they posted - http://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/60332693287/introducing-our-new... - along with a now laughable quote about it from the post 30 days ago:
> The new logo will be a modern redesign that’s more reflective of our reimagined design and new experiences.