I wonder what the next-generation Mac Mini will look like. Take out the batteries and the remaining components would be truly tiny. What I'd kinda like is to unplug my computer from its desktop keyboard and screen at the end of the day, take it home in my pocket, and plug it into my keyboard and screen at home.
"I want it to be as beautiful as possible, even if it's inside the box. A great carpenter isn't going to use lousy wood for the back of a cabinet, even though nobody's going to see it."
My old Dell, on the other hand...
They certainly could get the computer to within spitting distance of the new Apple TV, if it lost the optical drive.
Overall, I can't discount the current Mini's usefulness. With a Seagate Momentus XT and 8GB of memory it's a great development box (spinning up 4GB VMs with ease), great every day machine, and even plays games decently enough (including Starcraft II). Power consumption with a 23" display and external FW800 disk rounds out to 45-60W depending on the display's brightness.
However, the real "zero footprint" Mac is still the iMac. With the Mini, I still need a display, and the requisite display cable and second power cable.
Size and weight
Height: 0.9 inches (23 mm) Width: 3.9 inches (98 mm) Depth: 3.9 inches (98 mm) Weight: 0.6 pounds
Current MacMini Size:
Height: 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) Width: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) Depth: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) Weight: 3.0 pounds (1.37 kg)