It's not really that astonishing. I've been sitting in product design meetings for over a decade for applications, and anything designed through that process almost inevitably ends up looking like that Sony remote.

When you have five product managers that have a stake in something and they care more about their little product rather than the larger picture, this is what you end up with.

Apple has the singular vision of Steve Jobs/Jony Ive to drive their products. You really need a (well-qualified and competent) dictator when it comes to product design.

The better question is "what will happen to Apple after Jobs and Ive are gone?"