Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

In my discussion about the 2nd Law law2 in The Laws of Simplicity book, I introduce the concept of the gestalt of the iPod. At my recent appearance in the Core77 panel in Boston, two gentlemen were in a heated dispute about their personal preference for their favorite iPod interface.

The 1st version of the iPod controller had buttons surrounding the center scroll dial. In the 2nd version, the four buttons were separated from the central dial and placed in a horizontal row at the top. Subsequent versions of the iPod carry the vastly simplified control wheel where the buttons and dial are "smooshed" together. I tend to rag on the 2nd design, but one of the gentlemen mentioned above absolutely loved 2nd variant over the other designs.

Which version is your personal favorite?