come on carmack, u've been making games for PCs for years, this is what its like. what do you want them to do? just release one iphone? ever? i'm sure doom 3 would have had a shader and non shader version? i know hl2 did (dx7 and dx9 support). sure its a pain in the arse, but COME ON!
also, "Carmack has repeatedly said that idTech5 won't push the limits of computing power" if this is true, then the greatest engine programmer ever has given up (fair enough, he more than anyone in the games industry has earned his retirement). this may mean the death of PC gaming, and the death of technical advancement in graphics for all gaming. very sad. mind you, it has been obvious for years, after quake III it has been a case of diminishing returns with regards to game graphics.