Well, the images weren't particularly great, but these were small sensor cameras, so that could be fixed.
Ergonomics, from the little time that I handled such cameras, were fine, but not a marked improvement for me over other more conventional designs. Aesthetics, well I do think they're incredibly ugly, but to each his/her own.
Honestly, in the small camera world, I think the NEX-5 is a nice balance of unique, modern design and ergonomics, but I still lust a bit after this X100 for shallow reasons.
Well, actually, it's the hybrid viewfinder that really peaks my X100 interest, more so than the looks.