so the whole point of this thread is that MS is going to fake a slim version?
How can that even be faked? If it's slimmer than before, it's obviously a slim version. How they achieve that is completely irrelevant.
What does MS gain from constructing and selling a console that's purposely bigger than all the competitors?
What does a consumer gain from buying a console that's a few inches smaller here and there?
A slim version isn't going to magically persuade someone to buy that console. It's either a price cut, better library at that point or added value that comes with the slim.
It's just a design choice.