The Apple-oriented rumor site Think Secret has a must-read piece up in which it claims that Apple will introduce a revised Mac mini at January’s Mac World Expo, a new home computer that will serve as the hub of a new digital delivery service with a new digital rights management system.

From the piece: “In an effort to appease media companies wary of the security of digital rights management technology, Apple’s new technology will deliver content such that it never actually resides on the user’s hard drive. Content purchased will be automatically made available on a user’s iDisk, which Front Row 2.0 will tap into. When the user wishes to play the content, robust caching technology Apple previously received a patent for will serve it to the users computer as fast as their Internet connection can handle. The system will also likely support downloading the video content to supported iPods but at no time will it ever actually be stored on a computer’s hard drive.”

The article goes on to say that alongside this product announcement will be news of new programming available for Apple’s form of home streaming. However, Nitin Gupta, a tech consultant with the Yankee Group, hopes that Apple doesn’t get too indie with its new venture. “”What will be the draw is access to great content they can’t get elsewhere,” Gupta is quoted as saying. “Yes, this needs to includes movies and a lot more television shows, but it needs to include exclusive content. If it doesn’t and it includes niche programming, like independent films, it’s going to have limited appeal.”