HDMI Output can be managed on the current generation through an adapter from Kanex. Not as cheap as other Mini Display Port adapters, but compared to the bump up in price of a MBP with the feature built in, Kanex is likely to be the better bargain. Keep in mind, there will not be an HDMI port built into the MBP, it'll retain the MiniDisplay Port and you'll be able to purchase an adapter to hdmi, the only difference between a future apple solution and what is presently out there now is that you will only plug one thing in (MiniDisplay) as opposed to two (MiniDisplay and USB). I think most of us can handle the USB.
Blu Ray drives are still not as common on PCs as they would probably need to be for apple to feel it was a feature people really want or need. Plus they want to continue to push online video content and with new compression methods and high speed internet the goal is to get you to go through them and not buy BluRay. Apple would also rather not support a competitor if it doesn't have to. The Mac Pro is the most likely of any candidate to get Blu Ray options, simply because the market there is substantially different than for the MBP which is not really meant to be a professional device, but a high end consumer product that looks "professional."
The debate as to whether it is worth waiting for or not has largely taken the position of future proofing your machine. That isn't bad advice, but you have to keep in mind that programmers aim to create software solutions that are as efficient as possible. Keep in mind that all those little Atom netbooks out there can run itunes, chrome web browser, windows 7, microsoft office, and an IM client all at once with 2gb of ram installed. I think we can all agree that a C2D is substantially higher on the chain than the Atom. So the point is, most of what people want to do these days are not CPU heavy. If you know you have the sort of work that is, or you're in a field where new software comes out and constantly pushes the edge of tech then by all means wait it out. For most people, the current generation is going to do all they need it to do, and be able to do that for a long time. Until there is a massive evolution in what people use their computers for, even a 2.26ghz C2D is going to be able to run Photoshop (requires 2.0Ghz) for the occasional cropping and editing people do, iWorks/Office, iTunes, an IM client, a web-browser with a number of open tabs, and even play most games that casual gamers would play (if you're wanting to play COD4 or something, you might need a dedicated graphics card to boost frame rates, but otherwise... probably not that necessary).
Long story short, we have hit a technological plateau where the advancements in the technology are substantially ahead of the software to exploit them. The difference between the Vaio i7 8gb Ram I'm using now and the Vaio C2D that it replaced has never been noticeable, (but now I can burn Blu-Ray which for me is a necessary feature). Unless you're doing video, or wanting to store 20GB to a single disk for record keeping purposes, save your money and buy what you need. Put the difference aside towards a computer 3 or 4 years from now instead.
Or at least that what these companies want us to feel.
