Several manufacturers did not wait for a standard to be released; that's the big reason this standard was released all by itself instead of announcing it in a package of standards like they did at the January NAMM. Below is a quote from the release notes:
The inclination towards smaller hardware devices has made it increasingly difficult to make use of DIN connectors for MIDI In/Out in the past few years. Many manufacturers have chosen to use 2.5mm or 3.5mm "TRS" connectors instead. But since there was no specification for wiring a TRS MIDI connection, the situation exists where two devices may not have chosen the same wiring scheme, so compatibility between devices is not known. By specifying the pin-out for the TRS connection, and also the connectors for the adapter cable, we can ensure greater interoperability between TRS and DIN-MIDI devices.