That is the one draw back to Apple, but one of their reason for success. They flood the market with any number of any kind of rumors. I have heard rumors that employes are told to make stuff up. That in itself could be a fake rumor, who knows, but it keep you coming back to the Apple Site and the Apple Store… doesn’t it?
I have heard many things, seen many things… Apple has such a fetish with creating technologies, then “live testing them” year before they openly announce them. I mean, look at the accelerometer and the multi-touch. I have used Gen 1 G4’s with the multi-touch usability. Sure, Tiger didn’t have it, and Leopard just got it, but they have had it in the computer forever, same thing with the accelerometer. The Mac Laptops have had them in there for many years, almost a decade now? I think. I am to lazy to remember accurately.
So, to answer your question: Mac will come out with another mini… at some point, just like they will have a touch screen desktop and a touch screen laptop. The Air has the digitizer in the glass… why? Maybe because they use it for warranty prepossess (so if you punch the screen, they’ll know) or maybe because the next version will be a touch screen, like a 13 inch iPhone, but a laptop. If you are ultra paranoid, ether: start buying Mini’s in mass, or wait till January, and see what happens.
Part of me totally loves the idea that at any moment something so amazing could come jumping out of Apple’s warehouse, but another massively, big part of me hate them for doing that. I wouldn’t mind so much if they had a “trade up” program… but then they wouldn’t be wealthy, only rich.