pauljack00 said:
Steve Jobs had the right idea ....
You already said it!
Before Steve Jobs, it was all about tech specs and not much about the looks. Mainly because the initial bunch of customers for computers are mostly techies (no offense, I am an engineer too!) but with the internet boom, computers have become essential and the market opened up for people who are willing to dig deeper into pockets if looks can match the tech specs.
In case of HiFi, my current favourite company, B&O does exactly the same as Apple does. But keeping few asides (like Devialet), the way the companies see the consumers for HiFi, especially beyond 500 Pound mark (just a random start point), are the one who care more about the tech specs over the look & appeal.
Except two of my friends, none others are keen on HiFi spending. They are fine buying a much expensive car which will depreciate alot more than HiFi, even when they do not need/use the kind of the power but just buy the way they look.
HiFi is not as big a market as we want to be and not as essetial like a car or a computer. So, the changes, especially in the direction of aesthetics, if at all happen, then it will be at snail pace.
If I have to bet, then it will be on newer brands like Devialet, Oppo, Vivid to breath freshness into design rather than a traditional company making a sudden paradigm shift and focussing on aesthetics. B&O is a traditional design/style focussed company and it is already way ahead than any possible close competition.
I have come across severeal posters (and actual consumers of HiFi), all over internet, ready to dismiss B&O even with out hearing them once, just because they look too stylish and expensive to buy. May be this set of the consumers (who are unwilling to even listen to some thing out of their comfort zone) is the largest pie of the actual consumers of HiFi and the traditional HiFi companies retain their designs (read as ugly boxes) not to loose their customer base.
In all fairness, some of the traditional designs do look very beautiful.