I might buy that if they had kept the string sequential instead of breaking it into odd size pieces and shuffling them around, inverting packets etc.

I think they went small and close to the vest instead of big and open. If it were more accessible people would be building editors, links to other data, more styles etc. Then more folks from other types of music would be drawn to it. But it would be a bigger management headache

There were some iReal editors before the changes and folks have offered to develop more styles. Philosophically I think the developers are Jazz guys, teachers and students and that's their target audience. Their interest is in their music and not marketing iRealPro and growing the user base. A decision lots of musicians would probably make.