With all due respect, most of the members of this board don't represent even the general view of the average male population let alone women. A lot of you have what, five or six keyboards? Even two or three quality keyboards would probably be more than sufficient to out-last their owners. That's no more practical or logical than the average joe who buys a throw-away keyboard every year of his life. I'm only saying all this to make the point that how people think on this board isn't how all, or even most men think. Men care for aesthetics in plenty of things, from sports cars to gadgets, it's just that perhaps men appreciate functionality more so than others.
The Model-M is respected because it has many good qualities, but that doesn't justify why aesthetic issues should be ignored. I think true mastery of product design is exhibited when function is not compromised by an attractive form. It isn't a lot to ask, nor is it a massive technical challenge to make a keyboard that is a different colour, or without a superfluous inch-thick frame of plastic all around it, wasting your desk-space. From opinions i've read here, the Filco keyboards are very sturdy and have a good weight, yet they're as compact as you can get for a full-sized keyboard. They look smart as well as performing well. There are other keyboard makers who can do a similar job, and I don't think there's anything wrong with making something better just because it performs its primary purpose well enough.
