New Model Development Updates

[MbeeTech]

With the 68K mode, I can’t help feel that effectively what we’re getting is a Gamma for the 21st century.

It's as close to a Gamma as we'll ever produce but with quite a few differences.
No MMU or memory protection in these models, whereas the Gamma had both, although the memory protection was not utilized (tied off in hardware).
Graphics resolution on the Gamma was (at max) 720 x 350 and 4 bit planes and a choice of 16 from 4096 colors.
These models have a max resolution of 640 x 288 with up to 256 colors on screen at once from 4096 colors. Not just one palette though, 16 foreground palettes
of 16 colors each (programmable from the 4096 colors) and another 16 palettes (of 16 colors each) for the background / bit plane graphics.
The Gamma had no hardware graphics 'helpers' whereas these models have horizontal bitwise scrolling support, the ability to write a color across the 4 bit planes
with a single write, masking support, or / and support.  Also a hardware cursor / sprite of up to 64 x 32 pixels and it uses one of the foreground palettes to 
specify 16 colors for the cursor bitmap.
The Gamma had 1Mb ram as standard (at least on the 10 prototypes) with a max of 7Mb - whereas these new models have 32Mb for the 68k processor to utilise.
The new models are fully backwards compatible with the z80 bee range, whereas the Gamma had limited backwards compatibility. 

One question. In a future - and much later! - version, would it be technically possible to have a 68010 mode and MMU to allow people to play with virtual memory on this machine?

It's possible.  The tricky thing with going forward with 68k is availability of suitable parts or having to put a 68k core into the FPGA logic.  There are drawbacks in both those scenarios which make it 
tricky to bring a product to market that should be sold in the 100's or even 1000's.  Nice thought though, and I'll keep it in mind for the future.