@waedi I was thinking about those you mentioned but here's my view:
1) WordClock is theoretically very cheap, and may prove useful for "video" folks maybe..? but I wrote it in brackets to indicate it being least important aspect...
2) any additional ADAT/MADI I/O means the unit no longer remains "portable" due to additional rack units connected, and also such unit should not compete with bigger brothers UFX II and UFX+ or even MadiFace XT, to keep costs low and portfolio diversity high, I'd say it's fair to leave UFX II and UFX+ relevant for such use case scenarios
3) I think handles weren't a bad idea back in the day (I still do use original UFX with Octamics which all have handles), but as you can see in the pic (I took RME's AVB Tool as reference for matching scale), there isn't really any space for handles....MAYBE there could be optional rack mounting kit with handles on the mounts?

I think biggest challenge for RME is to decide if combination of both backlit control knob, IR remote (as seen on ADI-2 DAC) and TotalMix FX and ARC USB is do-able and user-friendly to achieve

@ramses
hmm good point about the MIDI I/O, I completely forgot that!

MADI/ADAT is matter of AVB interface by RME, makes very little sense to equip such unit with it, without those USB 2.0 shall suffice...maybe Tunderbolt 3/4 could sound fancy, but that's unjustifiable added cost on the unit imo,
if nothing else, it would confuse potential buyers, I'd say AVB interfaces should keep AVB in name of the product

SPDIF, no matter if optical or electrical, eventually switchable to ADAT/AES is something most people don't really need, and as you wrote, that would take valuable space on the unit indeed,

Autoset/Autogain I meant automatically, as long as there's digitally-controlled preamps,
DURec usb recording/playback is nice, but honestly I don't use it much when there's reliable Mac running Reaper

power supply is good point, I was actually thinking about throwing regular 230V power socket into the mockup (as on UFX II), but from my own experience, external power supplies are easier to replace by end-user rather than sending whole unit on service for internal power supply replacement

@lightbox

4 mic pres and 4 line ins sounds like decent compromise...

"a singer, a guitarist, a bassist and a drummer walk into a restaurant - table for one please"

...imagination is the key, think big https://youtu.be/u9lAIvLosyg

PS: I'm a drummer and I need UFX+Octamic II just to mic my drums (for entire band, I need second Octamic D)

A well made suggestion, but I don't see the appeal of it for 1149€, even not for 1000€, sorry tzzsmk!

RME last a long time and I don't see the value to save 200€€ to miss the flexibility of ADAT, SPDF and Midi and maybe have to cut corners at other places too. Even when you don't need it now, it's a pain to buy a new interface just two years later because you need ADAT for some sessions.

Especially digital i/o is important as more and more monitor speaks are digital.

I think the current UFX is already in the sweet spot. Too many different models are not always better, I prefer to have 2 or 3 good options than too many. It's easier for me to decide as a customer when I know that I'm prepared for most situations with this model instead of going back and forth about each individual advantage/disadvantage, but I expect also better support, a better product (R&D time is expensive) and actually a reduced price point when you manufacture just some good options instead of many.

Example. A big reason why I use a macbook is because I'm sure I will get a good model without endless hours of research and to have a well rounded standard. Looking at the endless different offerings from Lenovo or HP workstations give me headache. I could imagine to use Windows when there was a manufacture with this consistency in the product range. And with a similar consistent high quality.

Why not just technically updated the UFX? I like the USB powered idea as an option. I hope this will be possible by usb-c with higher power delivery. Or is it about the two additional mic preamps? When it's aimed mainly at mobile use a second headphone out could be a good idea.

Some other points / discoveries:

The HiRes display that you took from the 12Mic is feasible for the 12Mic if you consider the whole operation concept of this AVB product and its mainly a mic preamp where you have in most cases only to adjust the Mic Gain at the device. You have remote control capabilities through Network/Webbrowser and later also by TM FX with Auxdevice support.

I think a recording interface is different and for operating and setup tasks at the display the display should definitively be easier to read so that you can configure and control settings easily from the usual working distance of ~60-80+cm.

I am also missing clear status LEDs. You can also reproduce all this in a display, but status LEDs are simply better visible over a certain distance, there are two types of Status LEDs missing:
- Sync State of I/O ports (WC, ADAT,..) and Status of MIDI port (both ADAT/MIDI missing)
- CLIP / SIG / 48V at each of the Mic inputs

If you look at UCX and UC, then you can see that RME has used every centimeter here and there, I think there is still a lot of unused space on the back.

Depending on what display / knob is being used in the front you might need to provide an on/off switch at the back of the unit.

Its an interesting discussion, as you can see how much work it is involved to design a product as tastes and expectations are so different and you also need to look at the end price and to whom in the market you compete with what features ;-)

And if you look at all RME products .. these are intelligent products which shall give the user a benefit over a long time.
It has been always more than "simply a few analog and Mic ports" so that the customer has options and can expand.
Of course this has also limits, but only a few analog ports is definitively too restricted in use according to the price.

I am still the opinion that it would be better
- to release another UFX+ with AVB (instead of MADI) to follow the logic of the changes in product line to support AVB
- to update other proven interface designs as it has been done in the past

A too simple product without possibilities for expansion would IMHO be a dead end street for the customer and only feasible for some special cases / wishes but not for a wider range of customers.

Well, I had actually only replied to your very concrete interface design proposal and now you suddenly go very very far.

Maybe summarized again ... What I don't like about the interface design is that
1. no one will spend so much money for a product that does not offer any extension possibilities at all
2. if you do not provide digital interface ports for expansion or to be able to add another needed product,
    then the whole device / investment can quickly become obsolet/useless
3. it is misleading to call such a limited product "UFX" mini, when this product name was reserved for flagship interfaces
    with maximum features (features + IO) so far
4. this form factor is most likely too small for such an interface with 4 mic preamps and corresponding features.

My conclusion was, as mentioned in the last post, that it might be better to update the existing interfaces (e.g. UC, UCX) as well as the other interfaces (BBF Pro FS, AIO Pro), because in my opinion they contain a solid mix of I/O ports that most customers can use.

Just because you personally could do without certain ports doesn't mean that it makes for a successful product for the general public that others would buy.

BTW, this is neither a struggle or a competition for me ... at the end of the day RME will know best, what direction they need or want to go. I regard this simply as an interesting discussion what new product the market might need.

My view of the market or older and newer RME products is not quite the same as yours (your last posting #14), but I don't have the time to answer right now, maybe later.