Just an idea inspired by Brandon's Wikimania talk and some discussions at Wikidata-L: We can completely remove infobox templates. More precisely, the templates may stay, but the code that places them in the article can be removed.

Let me explain: Wikidata makes it possible to write an infobox without any parameters - just {{Infobox settlement}} without any |, = and all that. Wikidata even has a property called "infobox's main topic", a kind of "meta-property" that can automatically identify which infobox does the article need, so that you can simply say something like {{Infobox}}. This is implemented in the Russian Wikipedia using https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Module:Universal_infocard , which is used on hundreds of articles there. So it hasn't replaced the usual templates yet, but the theoretical possibility is there.

Thus, the only thing left to the editor's discretion is where to place the infobox.

This, however, can be handled by Winter. Winter puts infobox-like information on the info rail*, and if we plan to be bold enough to take it completely out of the article's prose flow, why not just remove it from the article completely? If an article has an appropriate infobox template, it is shown on the info rail, and that is it. (The Community will then ask for the __NOINFOBOX__ magic word, but that's a minor thing.)

Thoughts?

* That's how I call the "right rail" until there is consensus on a better name. See http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/design/2014-August/001897.html