Hi Bryn,
I don't say we should give up. What I'm trying to say that if you, as a product owner, want to put all the buttons on the left hand side - it is up to your usability experts to tell you that the majority of your market are right handed and may find the product difficult to use.
Similarly a TV engineer my rate a TV set poorly because they can't fiddle with the contrast and gamma - all things usually ignored by a "normal" customer.
Whenever I read technology reviews - especially by self-confessed geeks - I'm reminded of Slashdot's infamous verdict on the original iPod: No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.
Reading that article from eight years ago is hugely insightful. Look at how the non-target-market tore it apart, criticised its failings, and pronounced the death of Apple.
It would be the height of hubris for me to claim that 360 will be the "next iPod" or "iPhone killer" - but something will, one day. And, like everything before it, some people won't like it.
I totally agree with you that Apple's design ethos works really well - whether 360 replicates that success isn't decided by the reviewers; it's decided by customers.
Thanks for the comment
T
PS - Yes, Normob is an ugly word, but it's one that Ewan coined (or uses heavily) so I thought it appropriate.