It is quite obvious what AK is doing.
Their profit, like all other digital products company, rely on rapid product cycles. They are not unlike Apple or Samsung or LG or any other electronics company for this matter, which all have steady product cycles. Like some have already mentioned, every September there will be a new iPhone, every November there will be a new Google Nexus, and Sony has been coming out with a new iteration of their RX100 camera for four years straight now - all with very predictable and stable product cycles. This is all understandable as companies will go bankrupt if everyone sits on their iPhone 4 and use it for 5 years before upgrading. That is why the hype and marketing are so strong surrounding every new release, to make existing owners lust after that new shiny thing. Creating a 'must own the latest TOTL' mentality in customers goes a long way in profiting all these companies. Of course we have also heard about hardware specifically created to last only 2 - 3 years, or smartphone companies killing performance of their legacy devices with new firmware, indirectly stimulating new purchases from users who succumb to the consumerist culture less severely.
However, AK differs in a couple of ways:
1) They are in a niche market segment. Almost everyone owns smartphones these days, but not everyone owns even something like the AK Jr (let alone the $3500 AK380 or the even more $$ Cu version). With such a smaller market, AK will have to rely on MUCH steeper profit margins and a much more rapid product cycle to make up for the tiny market.
2) The 'must own the brand new shiny TOTL thing' mentality is especially strong in audiophile circles, compared to ordinary people with no obsession about certain hobbies. Knowing this intimately, and with a 65% market share (quoted from AK / iRiver's management in mid 2015) of the audiophile DAP market, AK is surely to take advantage of this and abuse this before the competition grows and the market is too saturated (a lot of competing DAPs are coming out as of late: Plenue S, DP-X1 ...).
Having understood this, it isn't difficult to understand why AK does not 'announce the whole lineup' and let customers choose right at the beginning, it wouldn't make any business sense. The correct way to do it is to release flagships every year or 18 months, then during that period release special 'versions', limited editions, different material constructions (to keep their most wealthy customers entertained) until sufficient time has passed and they can justify moving on to another TOTL flagship again. There are some very wealthy and loyal AK customers who suck this up like nothing and who view money as no object, in fact they gain satisfaction from instantly acquiring the latest variation of the TOTL / a new TOTL before everyone else. A customer at my local shop is already anxious to instantly get his hands on the first Copper amp and is breathing down the neck of all the staff but to his dismay it hasn't arrived yet.
The only way to stop this is if enough audiophiles stop buying their latest and greatest TOTL (through being content with what they already own) and the sales numbers will get that message to AK in the most practical of ways. But this is Head Fi and we all know that it aint' gonna happen.
Lastly, I append below this, which is self-explanatory:
Pay attention to 'received many request from copper user to make its own amp ...'. This proves that there is still a strong market willing to buy whatever AK releases, no matter the cost. According to this, and if this is true, these users even 'demanded' it. So AK is now the innocent victim here, they did decided no copper amp but hey, the copper users 'forced their hand'. Marvelous, just splendid
