Do you touch type? The little bumps on the F and J keys help don’t they?
Can you use your phone without looking? I used to be able to set the timer on my Sony-Ericsson T-616 without looking.
How often do you look at your remote control? Probably not very often, you know the feel and location of the channel up and down buttons and I’ll bet the volume controls too.
The layout, the shape and the feel of these object help us to use the device without looking or if we are really good, without thinking.
Which brings me to todays Bitch, the iPod shuffle, specifically the second generation. Let me say I use mine all the time, great battery life, cheap (so I dont’ worry if I loose it) and the clip is a nice touch. However, the buttons are completely smooth, the only feature that lets you know the device’s orientation is the shape and maybe the way it is clipped on.
Now the apologists might say, ‘Well if you clip it on then you know the orientation dumbass.’ Sure. But sometimes it isn’t clipped on. Now what?
One option, like your keyboard, put a bump on the volume up button. In fact a drop of glue might do it.
Apple, specifically Jonathan Ive normally does some very beautiful work, but this oversight is irritating.