I don't really think they were looking to innovate with this line, that is what the surface book and studio were for, those are pretty cool machines. I think release was strictly about stepping up build quality and design, like I said I like the design a lot but some of the specs are just too weak to trade off.
BTW did you see the announcement yesterday? Apple will be releasing their "most powerful mac ever" in december, top tier is rocking 18 cores...crazy!