Like a spellcaster, an artificer can apply item creation
feats and metamagic feats to his infusions. Like a
sorcerer, an artificer can apply a metamagic feat to an
infusion spontaneously, but doing this requires extra
time. An artificer can craft alchemical items as though
he were a spellcaster.
For the reason that there is a larger reduction that has yet to take place...
So basically a spell with a casting time of 2-9 rounds can be cast as a full-round action, but all we have to do is add 6 seconds to that and it becomes a minute!? Really? And that isn't an absurd triumph of rules over sense? Same goes for the difference between a spell with a casting time of 59 minutes vs. one of 60 minutes (if such existed). Again...
EDIT: An no your absurd interpretation would not work because at that point that is a direct violation of the wording of the feat.
I've never played, or had anyone in my group play, an Artificer (or Eberron for that matter, though it looks fun), but would infusions qualify as spells for this feat?
As a DM with a 12th level artificer in his game, I advise caution: letting an artificer cast spell-storing infusions more rapidly, without the limit of action points, is a very, very bad idea.