Remaking Zelda games at the start of a console cycle has become a sort of trend, and I don't mind it at all. Our first GBA Zelda was A Link to the Past, GameCube technically had Ocarina / Master Quest before Wind Waker (though as a pre-order bonus), 3DS had Ocarina 3D, even Wii launched with a GameCube Zelda title, although it was a port rather than a remake. And let's not forget that GameBoy Color's first Zelda title was Link's Awakening DX, and one of the second Color games (Oracle of Seasons) was originally intended to be a remake of the first Zelda.
Zelda games are a pretty safe bet for remakes. It's a long-running series with 16 major installments, and almost every one of them is highly critically acclaimed. Remaking an older game is a good way for the team to familiarize themselves with programming for a new console while level designers are working on the next adventure. And, as Aonuma pointed out, it appeases us fans who have an unquenchable thirst for more Zelda all the time.
Zelda is actually pretty much an annual series, but not the same way that Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty or even Mario are. Zelda releases are spread across multiple platforms (sometimes hitting three or four different consoles in a row), and rarely offer 'repeat' experiences. So maybe this year we get WWHD, next year we get a 3DS Zelda, the year after a Wii U Zelda, the year after that maybe something different along the lines of Four Swords (or the series takes a year off), and it continues.
