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In my memory... the M&P came, the 1911 was intro'd and the "other" metal semi-auto pistols were retired, but that wasn't exactly how it all played out.
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Actually, I think that IS how it played out.
IIRC the standard-production metal-frame pistols disappeared from the consumer catalog in 2009 and then from the LE catalog in 2010. According to popular rumors online- which I admittedly haven't seen confirmed- the pistol tooling was moved out of the Springfield plant but was mothballed at the Houlton, ME plant in case S&W receives a future LE order that's large enough to warrant dusting it off. (The PC-only Model 952 is still offered from time to time, but this gun is supposedly hand-built on different machinery.) I guess we just have to hope they get a big LE order and build a few extra guns!
I have some old magazines too, and it IS interesting to see the ads for the 3rd-gen pistol. IIRC one of my late 80s ads carries a slogan saying something like "S&W: The PROVEN Choice" and goes on to list several large LE agencies that had them- an oblique but fairly obvious dig at Glock!
Unfortunately, I think it basically boils down to profits. The TDAs are complex pistols that incorporate a good deal of intricate machining. They were always somewhat expensive guns, even the stripped-down "Value Series" models, and I don't think that S&W could afford to sell them for close to M&P or Glock prices unless they pared their margins down to the bone.
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(Further unrelated, S&W was showing a .17 HMR chambered DA revolver...did that EVER get built and sold?)
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Minor sidetrack! The revolver is the Model 647. IIRC it was a regular-production item for only one year before being dropped, but it has been brought back a couple of times as a PC gun. It's actually currently available as the ".17 HMR Varminter", SKU #170229, MSRP of $1,299.