Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonist
No. Only cool people do. 
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I would say design, good design is integral to the usefulness of a product. Good design, in any form, promotes a feeling of comfortability and ease when faced with technology, but it also goes the same in architecture and many other fields. Form and function fitting together will always trump mere function without the form.
Take a look at a Fumihiko Maki building, or Andrew Lloyd Wright, whatever your fancy. They're buildings that integrate both concepts and are better for it.
Apple do get this right. They build computers how computers should look. Unobtrusive, sleek, they're the products of the idea of form and function meshed together. This is not the only reason for their popularity, Apple sells the idea of a lifestyle with every product. It's great marketing, also, that gives Apple their status (although not market share).
Another company that seems to be getting it too is Wizpac with their Txtr reader. Compared to the blocky, industrial design of the Sony reader (and the Hanlin derivates) or the clumsy mess of the Kindle, the Txtr is a shining beacon.