I think Apple thinks of HTML5 the way they think of DRM-free music. The more content there is, the more devices they will sell.
Making money from apps is all very well and good, but there more HTML5 apps there are, the better their devices look. And right now, there's way more money in selling iPads than there is in selling iPad apps.
Why would it be then that they push the "apps" part of it? Your comment suggests that for consumers and developers alike it is a PR stunt (a stunt that still generates revenue). But do you think Job intuitively knows that the future is not in apps as they exist today? But probably some locally-run hybrid?
The question isn't "what technology" because that always changes. I think the question is "how will we distribute it?"
Making money from apps is all very well and good, but there more HTML5 apps there are, the better their devices look. And right now, there's way more money in selling iPads than there is in selling iPad apps.