And the ability to use any HDD on any system has been removed.  You wouldn't be able to take your phat HDD to your friend's house and use it on his slim 360, for example.

I don't think MS would go down this route.

I doubt it.

No 360 slim, they slimmed it down alot with external powerbrick and the HDD is a negative for slims. It was a dumb placement/design

Sure the HDD could be made slimmer! But the problem is it needs to be made thiner!

Why would you want a slim design? It just sits there next to the TV, it's not like it's a portable device.

I agree.

I'm sure they could use the same hard drive and just mount it to the top so it will just lay on top then the slim xbox will be semi domed.

You make a fair point there mm.

Makes me wonder had MS a lack of forward planning originally.

Which goes back to the point of MS been a software company and Sony been a hardware company.

@ reask, yet Sony make more games! Though that last fact is certainly true, M$ make no hardware apart from the Zune and Xbox, Sony make nearly every electronic device

There is less opportunity than the PS3, where there is no power brick, so that can immediately create space, and of course the rampant rumours

Did they ever redesign the Xbox original?

Cheaper to manufacture = More profit, could give a small sales boost.