Subtle nostalgia in design
In a broad sense, innovative products that feel familiar tend to be successful.
Keyboards are kind of like typewriters.
Instant Pots are kind of like Crockpots.
iPads are kind of like phones and computers.
Keurigs are kind of like traditional coffee makers.
Kitchen mixers are kind of like a bowl and a whisk.
Air fryers are kind of like toaster ovens and deep fryers.
Kindles are kind of like books, you even turn digital pages.
A remote control could be interactable like a video game controller. It could look like one and perform remote control functions, but that may be too different from what we're used to for it to become more than a novelty. The same goes for Segways, Google Glass and possibly the Humane AI Pin (at least in the short term).
This is why designers focus on how the user will interact with their product and not solely around what technology can afford. This focus on user experience underlines the fact that the way we do something is often more important than the outcome of the activity itself.
