Forgive me for such a newbie-ish question, but...

Are 1.x crop cameras here to stay, or will it be obsolete within a
decade (ie by 2015)?

I'm getting the distinct impression that the camera manufacturers
greatly prefer to keep full-frame cameras strictly in the domain of
professionals, while the crop lenses for the consumer level.  This
would be ideal for the manufacturers --- price wars at the consumer
level would not affect the exorbitant over-pricing at the professional
level.  There's a clear boundary.

If the manufacturers were to make full-frame cameras readily available
to the average consumer, then that boundary between amateur and
professional would inevitably fade.  Afterall, with each passing year,
there's less and less features in a $5000 camera that's not found in a
$1000 camera.  Price wars at the consumer level will eventually drag
down the prices for even the most expensive equipments.  No more
overpricing at the professional level, and therefore less control of
prices from manufacturers.

So... I'm thinking that crop lenses are here to stay for a long, long
time.  The "Full vs Crop" factor is the biggest thing keeping
professionals away from cheaper cameras.   It's really in the
companies' best interest to keep it that way.