I was cooking my lunch and thought of this old article by Don Norman:
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/simplicity_is_highly_overrated.html
Why such expensive toasters? Why all the buttons and controls on steering wheels and rear-view mirrors? Because they appear to add features that people want to have. They make a difference at the time of sale, which is when it matters most.
Why is this? Why do we deliberately build things that confuse the people who use them?
Answer: Because the people want the features. Because simplicity is a myth whose time has past, if it ever existed.