In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes

Unless the whole point is to bedazzle the user with the cleverness and
complexity of the product by disguising the ****tiness of the
underlying hardware and software.

Is that not true of the vast majority of electrical/electronic devices
on the market today? When did it take off? Perhaps today's 'smart'
phone is the direct descendent of all those awful 1980s 'hi fis' that
had a million useless knobs and switches that didn't really do very
much, were rarely necessary and were only there to impress the boys, and
disguise the crapiness of the underlying product.
--
Graeme