The issue with the pod-based coffee makers to me is that they are quite expensive for what they are and lock you in to buying that manufacturer's coffee pods, which are more expensive than just making coffee the old fashioned way.

The benefit, of course, is that they're brainless. Put a pod in, press a button, and voila! But I think Nespresso is using the Apple marketing recipe: make people pay a premium for something that looks pretty and delivers a high-end-of-the-middle-market product.