I think that is a misprint.....should be Dec 2013, not 2014......The model is called a 2014 model.
There are some very good deals on 1198's right now since dealers are selling out their stock, getting ready for the new units. BBG Marine had a very good sale last week.
No-one know all the details for the 1199's yet, but so far it seems that it is mostly a faster processor.....This is needed to support the ethernet accessories being released.