The next model won’t change the port layout or the keyboard. Apple just doesn’t work like that. A redesign of the MBP isn’t due for years, and no amount of negative feedback will change that. (Look at the Mac Pro for a concrete example of this.)
The 2002 iMac G4 (the "sunflower") was discontinued in June 2005 without a replacement in place. It wasn't until the end of the year that Apple brought out a redesigned iMac. If they could have introduced a new iMac faster, they certainly would have -- today it's almost inconceivable that they didn't have a consumer desktop for sale during much of 2005.