Good point. Some things look like a knob but are not the same as a know. At least when compared to how it works on a gas stove.
It's really weird. Granular and immediate control should be such an easy thing to do with electric.
It almost seems as if manufacturers are adding in these "steps" to make it more user friendly in the sense that you can say "I've turned it up to 3".
Is there any technical reason to have discrete steps?
I have induction with knobs. It's no different. I suspect it's just a knob on the user side, and there's still the big steps behind-the-scenes.
My stove's induction knobs give me tactile feedback, but lack the granular control that a real analog knob has.