This isn't "every other mmo" if we get to the bottom of things. This is core gameplay, the very basics packaged into a pick-up-and-play digestible format for a portable medium.
Maybe at first, but with all the new additions - guilds, PvP, trading, etc, it's gaining the features of a more advantages MMO. Of course, with only 3 stats, it can only go so far.

Saying you want to keep your +40 damage which you've acquired through gear means those highly geared have an easier time chalking up victories. No thanks, I don't want to grind out gear just so I can be on par with people who have more time to play than I do. I'd rather take my welfare epics and be on a level playing field with those who spent days tracking down a pink helm and still hand out beat downs based on how I play and not what I'm wearing.

The bottom line is PvP is about using your class to the best of its ability.
So what you're saying is forget about equipment or time spent on developing your character - lets make it easy for everyone. Just because you don't care to grind out gear to do a bit better in PvP doesn't mean no one else does. There's a reason why there's different rarities and stats for equipment - to reward those who put the time in and give a goal to strive for. But either way, you would still be able to do fine with your welfare epics, but those with better items would have a slight edge.

Actually, nothing has changed except the timeline. Before, you used to do 40 extra damage in 5 seconds. Now, you do 40 extra damage in 10 seconds. You still have the same difference in damage across classes, you have simply changed the time table.
The advantages of some classes is the speed they can deal out damage. Time is important. Now you're giving your opponents time to heal, regain mana, recover from stuns, etc, that they wouldn't have been able to do normally. Enchantresses with 16 mana regen will basically get double the mana back, enough to throw extra heals, more damage dealing spells, etc, while a warrior will run out of mana after sitting there for 40 seconds trying to kill you.

I call shenanigans, seeing as how I just went through a pvp round where I specifically targeted the warriors... and I was able to kill them... with Scabby Heavy Crossbow. Took me a while, but then... it's a bloody tank - it SHOULD take me a while. They survive. That's kinda the point...
I don't think so. Ask Doberman - that's who I was testing with. Note that all I was doing was shooting at him and casting Rage - I wasn't using any other of my abilities. But I sat there for minutes and he was fine. If you half damage, you need to half armor.