Appeal of SLR-like M43?

Hi all,

I am an EPL-1 owner, and don't intend to start off any flame war here.

I'm curious as to the appeal of the more SLR-like body shapes which are coming out in mirrorless cameras. The Panasonic GH1/GH2 and the new Sony SLT A55/33.

Isn't the whole point of mirrorless to allow one to build a very compact design? These cameras are quite massive compared to the other M43 cameras like EPL1/GF1. (And the APS-C sized NEX-5).

Why would folks go for a GH1, when they could get a Canon Rebel for example, which probably is only slightly bigger.

thanks!