Actual processing time for an application depends on several factors, some of them are in USCIS hands and others on FBI hands (name check). The case processing date they publish has to be an average for a case that is processed normally from beginning to end. I don't think the date they give is subjective.
However, read my post above, when a district office posts a date of February 10, it doesn't mean that that district office will take 7 months to process your application. This date means their worst case scenario or estimated goal date for that kind of application. In most cases it will take less than that. District offices that are doing worse than the goal will display the actual date they are processing, e.g. Fresno California with a date of January 26, 2006.
All in all I think we're getting less information, because we lose all visibility of processing dates that are better than their goal. I think it is better to check the individual district office trackers in this forum, like the one for San José, to get a better idea of processing time.