As ridiculous as this wait has been, and it is excessive, it would be irresponsible for Intel to release the driver in a manner outside normal channels. Proper support is important for all software releases, and especially in a case such as this, they need to be able to provide technical assistance and stand behind the release. I have been frustrated and annoyed for months on end, like most of us, but my hope is that the issue will truly be fixed by the proper release. Intel has managed this (very visible) bug very poorly, but I'd hate to see them compound the errors with more incompetence.
That said, let's have this new driver packaged and released to the public. Intel reps have been quick to claim they are on top of the issue, so we'd like to see the results of the effort already.
-B