Great update, thank you!
Even this new application layer (hive 1.0) will benefit developers by allowing them to write applications that use Steem blockchain data without them needing to run a full node.
Looking forward to a guide on the developer portal on exactly how to set this up and use it in third-party applications!
I opened a suggestion issue for that:
https://github.com/steemit/devportal/issues/242