Don't understand why this was downvoted. The induction stoves I've used all had a touchpad controls, for some reason. They take one second to change the power output 10%, with hotkeys for 100% and 40%.
It would be trivial to add a dial with some simple fail-safe.
They're incredibly responsive, though, more so than the gas stoves I've used. Never tried the following with gas, I'm guessing it would work, but you can easily turn down the power as a pot of pasta has started boiling over, and it'll stop before the foam pours over the top of the pot.
It's just a stupid trend in electric cooktop design, not something specific to induction. I've got an SMEG induction combo oven/stove and it has real knobs – out front, where they belong. They also make induction cooktops with real knobs.
I see Samsung and LG with induction oven models, that now have dials for the "burners".
When I bought my range, maybe 5 years ago, I don't think these models existed.
So, perhaps the trend is reversing?
The oven itself seems digital in all cases, but that's fine. I don't mind setting it to 400F by entering the numbers, because that stays static for most of the cooking process.
Honestly: it looks pretty gimicky, and the dimensions and wattage don't put it in Rolls Royce category for serious cooks. It does 1800 watts into < 20 cm (8 in.) whereas the central burner on my SMEG induction stove does 3000 watts into 27 cm (11 in.). A gastronomy induction stove will get closer to 5000 watts per burner.
It looks like it's far more targeted towards the "magical cooking" crowd than prosumer. It looks like you could probably replace a sous vide bath and a deep fryer with it, but most serious cooks already have those as separate devices, and you'd have to give up your "best" burner while doing so.
Keller uses them at The French Laundry, and Grant Achatz uses them at The Aviary (Though I misspoke in another comment said he uses them at Alinea). Shola Olunloyo and Ivan Orkin are also fans.
If it's good enough for 3 michelin star restaurants and some of the most highly regarded chefs in the industry right now, it's kind of hard to say it's not good enough for serious cooks.
