I would respectfully disagree with Mr. Laidlaw.
1. I read somewhere that the advance lever is used to cock the shutter. Not too much of an unwelcome 'feature' for an audience that shuns autowinders.
2. I kinda like the analog dials on the top panel. Not sure what they're for, although the notation says "meter." As it seems to be a multi-function analog dial system, perhaps battery charge, light metering, and exposure counting are done here? Whatever. It's surely not going to be the most 'accurate' way to view any manner of quantity data, but it lends some character.
3. I don't believe the size of a Leica-M digital is required to be smaller than an SLR. Leica-M users will welcome the opportunity to use the lens lines they already own. As well, they're already convinced those lenses are superior to other brands, so unless the M-digital is unmanageably large, that won't be too much of a detriment. As well, Leica folks sometimes attach manual winding mechanisms or motor winders to the bottoms of their Ms, and a digital module shouldn't be too much taller.
4. I don't disagree that the model in the case is probably intended to garner interest and judge demand. Epson, Cosina, and Leica are probably all monitoring the various boards to see if there is a market, and at what price. [Note that i didn't include Contax/Kyocera in that list. I don't know WHAT if ANYTHING they've been 'monitoring' lately.]