But Jeff, your #1 reason not to like the iPod was couture:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000730.html
An iPod isn’t a far cry from Brooker’s cell phone example.
Isn’t the line between couture and screwdriver going to blur as we lose the distinction between PCs and consumer electronics?
I drink Schlitz and use a beige box, but I can understand the fashion flavor of devices, especially when you carry them around 24x7, use them in public, and touch them with your hands a lot.
If we all had call to carry screwdrivers everywhere, they would come in designer models, too.
(BTW, I like the colored comments addition.)