The problem is that the Chrome team shouldn't be selectively implementing parts of the html5 standard [1]. It shouldn't matter how many users desire the functionality after it's accepted by the w3c.

Of course, Chrome could implement whatever it likes if it drops any claim to be standards compliant, but until that happens...

[1] http://www.w3.org/Math/draft-spec/mathml.html

So why not just say we would like to do this but don't have time ?

The impression I got was that they would never implement it.

Just to explain the joke: Math is special to us nerds.