Skeuomorphism is great if your audience understands the medium you are trying to replicate. I think that's why Apple had such great success with the first iPhon

Skeuomorphism is great if your audience understands the medium you are trying to replicate. I think that's why Apple had such great success with the first iPhone. As we've become more digitally literate, not as many design cues are needed to convey the intended use. Compared to a plain rectangle, a button with lots of texture, borders, and shadows is going to take more time to develop and code. When time is money, it gets harder to justify if there isn't another reason for the more specialized design. That said, I still have a soft spot for skeuomorphism as well. :)