We've changed the way we're managing and releasing updates here in the SharePoint team. This is all very good news. It makes things more manageable internally for us, which translates into quicker, more effective turnaround on issues, but it also means that updates and patches will be much more predictable, so you can plan around those dates more effectively. There is still recourse for you if you have an absolutely critical issue that needs to be resolved ASAP.

More details on this SharePoint blog post and KB article 953878.