Agreed! Unfortunately these things are giving way to LCD's and the flat buttons, and not just in appliances. Cars are especially guilty of this (switching from knobs and buttons to touchscreens) which require visual attention instead of just feeling around and therefore make them more dangerous. It's an ugly trend that is inconvenient in the kitchen, but could be potentially life-endangering on the roads--I wish more companies would realize that!
My Vitamix has great controls: a giant power switch, a knob, and a giant maximum power switch. My Kitchenaid is great, too: 2 metal levers and a right-tighty metal-on-metal attachment arm.
It's those flat 'capacitive' buttons that I hate. My fridge has some. Did I press it? I can't feel it in the dark. Did my elbow brush it?