It would be interesting to see the demographics of those who prefer software looking like actual hardware vs. the opposite.
I would guess those who grew up on real mix consoles would prefer the ones that look like hardware, and those who grew up on a DAW or not using a real mix console would prefer Steinbergs mix console. (Even though it could be said that is a compromise between the two.)
In the future, I think you can see which way this is going to go.