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Apple could have told developers about this during WWDC, but didn't.

My guess is Apple decided to do this last minute, after they saw the number of iOS7-only apps that developers were submitting.

It probably would've been useful to know before iOS7 app submissions were open, but, if that's their reasoning, it's a chicken-egg problem.

looks like they're fearing slow/low iOS7 adoption, considering how boldly they emphasize how few legacy iOS users are out there.

No. It's looks like they are telling developers the state of affairs, so that they don't fear slow adoption.

Agree. Knowing that users of old devices will continue to be able to use your app makes me a lot more excited about releasing for iOS7 only.