Unless they want as many MIDI jacks as the 7U case, I think MIDI thru might be more useful to a wider audience. Or perhaps a jack that can be set as out or thru.
Octalink would have to be in a single row, which would eat up the majority of the extra 42HP over the original Palette. I’d rather see 3.5mm jacks (or perhaps a stereo jack) to complement the 1/4" jacks, unity mixer, USB power, maybe some other simple utilities like rectifiers, inverters, etc., or even power status LEDs. Personally, I have zero interest in Octalink, but I am interested in a larger Palette, especially if it’s also at least 5-10mm deeper (which is the 62HP Palette’s big flaw). Octalink would be a massive waste of space for me.
Your Palette’s power adapter didn’t come with a right angle plug? Mine did.