Most people "take their eyes of the monitor to use" the function keys. Given this, the function row strip will finally be more usable and more obvious for lots of other uses besides volume and brightness (things that people at best adjust a dozen of times a day).
Most laptop users are neither programmers not touch typists that use the function row 2000 times a day. Nor does being a "pro" users means you are either of them. A graphic designer might not be a touch typist or care for the f row, but he is a professional. Same for a doctor, an architect, a musician, a videographer, a CEO, an accountant, etc etc...
"Sorry, but I'm just not interested in this motorized wagon you've invented. It's noisy and ugly. Could you please just go and invent me a faster horse instead?"
This is the next Apple Watch in the making.
So, a product that went from non-existent to being the #1 sold item in it's niche, the #2 in overall watch sales, and outsold competitor smartwatches 10 to 1, becoming a multi-billion dollar thing?
And all that in it's first 2-3 years (it took more for the iPod to become ubiquitous from its 2001 introduction), and while not of course being expected to become the next iPhone anyway...
Yeah, some failure.
Sorry, I'm just not seeing the draw. I'm also struggling to buy into the "not everyone is a touch typist" excuse. Anyone under the age of about 40 has had a typing class. Anyone under the age of about 25 (who is using a computer for their job/attending college) knew they were going to spend the rest of their life using a computer and probably paid attention.