With the new rules lighter d20 games like C&C or Blue Rose coming out, maybe they'll come up with a lighter rules version. But Phil has a good point, they'll want to keep selling those minis.
Maybe they could combine these seemingly opposing goals with the tendency for nostalgia, and come up with three different 'rules levels', depending on how tactical you wanted your combat. The Basic level is rules light and breezy, focusing on the action and narrative rather than specific rules. The Advanced level would have more exacting rules like five foot steps and AoO, and recommend but not require minis. The Expert level would require, or assume you are using, miniatures and don't mind detailed rules.
A real challenge for game design, because I don't envision this as three seperate lines or anything. The Basic game would be the baseline for all other versions of D&D. The Advanced is a collection of optional rules that lay on top of that. The Expert is even more rules. Everyone gets to play the way they like, products can be labeled for what level of play they are intended for, heck most products could be used for any level - just ignore the rules you aren't using.
Some ideas how this could work, with skills for instance. In basic, you get a number of skills depending on your class and Int modifier. If you're a fighter with an Int of 12 you get three skills. These are equal to your level +3 if on your class list, or Level -2 if not on your list. Moving up to advanced, skills are kept with individual skill points and can be split up among class and cross-class skills. Expert rules could add variations such as Synergy bonuses and specializations (bonus with one specific application of skill, penalty at others).
Now when you buy an adventure module, it tells you to roll a Spot check of DC 15 to see the orc. It doesn't matter if you're using Basic, Advanced, or Expert, because the means of determining is irrelevent. The same could be done with classes, magic, feats, and so on. Maybe basic just has a collection of feat paths such as "crusher", "archer", "fencer", while Advanced has the regular feats. Expert rules could include things like the tactical feats from CW.
Some will complain that they are then paying for rules that you aren't using, but you'll never make gamers completely happy. If WotC decided to give every gamer $50, there's be people on the net complaining that it wasn't a hundred.
