Yeah, I would assume, though, that they will make some version "jump" at some point in order to catch up. Development could actually speed up dramatically if Bitcoin continues to grow. Is there actually a fixed timeline or feature set for Bitcoin 1.0? The core protocol seems pretty well working, in my opinion...
There is no timeline nor feature set. There was some discussion in regards to this although I have no idea in which thread. The numbers don't really matter, companies jump often too.
It would require a significant change in the code for us to reach 1.0 in regards to protocol or infrastructure.
Bitcoin Core is okay, but there is a lot more room for improvement. You can notice that there are a lot of things that need to be fixed if you follow up on github. Besides 0.10.1 was just released to patch up a few things.
Yeah, the small improvements should just keep coming, no need to take steps that are too big and cause Bitcoin to stumble. I think 0.10.1 is pretty well done for a 0.10.1 version
Also, Bitcoin core should only be the reference implementation with focus on the technology, protocol, and backbone. Shiny new wallets, etc. may be created by third parties and companies.