I still don't understand why so many people seem to have an issue with the remote. I think the touchpad is brilliant, particularly for navigating within a movie or long lists. I'd never want to go back to click-button navigation. The only thing I'm sometimes missing is a mute button.
The remote works great, the physical design looks great on the table, but in it's normal use environment (on the couch in the dark) it's hard to make sure it's facing the right way. Due to the fact that it's mostly symmetrical, even down to the lightning port & IR window.
it's like it was only tested by someone sitting at a desk in their office.
I'm glad they at least fixed the "feature" that it had when it first came out where anytime you touched the trackpad it would scroll through the video you're playing, (you didn't have to be paused like you are now). It was fun, pick the remote up, barely brush the touch surface, oh look, you're now 10 minutes ahead.
when you pick up most remotes, you know you've got it the right way in your hand without looking at it, either through a little notch on the back your finger rests in, or the overall shape of the remote.
with the siri remote, it's pick up and feel around for the buttons, for me, it's usually feeling for the "long" volume button.
They could have fixed this in many ways (all we got a white ring on the newer versions)
- make an "identifying mark" on the back, a bump, a groove, or some sort of asymetrical texture .
- move the buttons off center.
- put a button at the top of the remote
- made one end heavier