Very good article, I especially like the preliminary sketches and models before the final design. Have you seen the boomcases on the same site? 

http://www.core77.com/blog/obj..._boomboxes_18194.asp

Cool!

Thanks for sharing this article, elite.  The designers appear to have put careful thought into the products.  The sentiment below seems to be a common one for today's personal electronics:

Old school boomboxes generally had two mid-range drivers plus separate horns. When you included all the necessary knobs, switches, lights, they got very busy. A lot of what we think of as the "retro" look is a result of this clutter. By using digital controls that weren't available in the old days, we could calm the face down, giving us a modern icon based on a classic format.

On their boombox, they've "calmed the face down" to what appears to be two multi-purpose knobs and some touch-sensitive controls.  It's a little too sparse for me.  Also, I prefer an actual button or switch to a touch sensor.  I can set my input before I turn the device on, there's a tactile response that confirms the control and I don't need to worry about scratching or dirtying up the front display with my dirty fingers.

But I like the metal volume knob, the handle and the tripod.

Sorry, did not know about this thread when I posted mine! Although mine has different links and you can see that it's available on Best Buy's site now....

Definitely agree, it's the same issue with automotive control systems like BMW's iDrive and Audi's MMI, having few controls with lots of modality. It's really better to have lots of controls that perform one function each.