IMO Its the future, Im not talking of replacing standalone installs, just another way to consume the product.
It could potentially make them a lot more money (particularly with a plugin store) and a make a better product.
Its not 2006 anymore, stand alone DAWs, and the need for premium priced no internet workstations is a thing of the past, why not make it accessible for all?
It seems tho Steinberg are happy with their current loyal customer base and their old school software development methodologies.