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This week @AIESema, @MaxTheGrey and Astromech EPC-112 discuss the 4.0 crafting updates recently released on the dev blog for the Knight of the Fallen Empire expansion. We also touch on other game news for the week from SWTOR in general and remind everyone that our casual, family-friendly multi-game guild is always looking for new members. Our officer channel on Jedi Covenant is at /cjoin aielfo and more guild information is at http://aie-guild.info/swtor
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To clarify the reasoning behind the separation between Armormech and Synthweaving, other changes to how stats and crafted items will work made it necessary.
Right now, the primary difference between them is that Armormech makes items with Aim and Cunning while Sythweaving makes items with Strength and Willpower. All four of those stats are being merged into Mastery.
Additionally, all crafted items will now be adaptive (but, as you pointed out, not necessarily modifiable). This removes armor types from crafted items.
So the only way to differentiate between the two was to have one focus on items which focus on Mastery and the other focus on Endurance. As far as moving the armoring from Cybertech, I think it was likely to give them something marketable to sell. For their own characters, I think the majority of players choose to use modifiable gear as early in the leveling process as possible. With companions no longer needing gear at all, these two crew skills have absolutely nothing marketable, especially at the end game. This gives them something they can make and sell.
This makes sense. It seems a bit of a shuffle but in light of the changes, as you suggest, they needed to push things around to keep all the crafting skills viable. Good points.
(Sorry for the delay in the comment showing up… looks like it got stuck for a couple days there!)