Actually it wouldn't surprise me if they just aimed for the 3.5 crowd. Pathfinder's success is an indication that there IS a market for people who like 3.5 style roleplaying games, something they might have previously thought of as a non-issue when starting 4th edition.
It's been a while since I've been to the PF forums, but IIRC many have said one of their reasons for liking PF is because "it continues 3.5".