There are plenty of reasons why a driver for a multi-channel audio interface might do something with date/time. There are smart things, like keeping track of time stamps for audio streams, or dumb things like logging how old the firmware build is when the driver is loaded (oops, the firmware version is 1000 days old, but we only have a 3 digit field!).
Duh, of course... SMPTE time codes. I'm sure those make it to the kernel driver level on that kind of interface. It had a lot of intelligence in the PCI card to control multiple modular interfaces and such. Time sync would be essential between interfaces. I clearly didn't think that statement through before posting.
I actually really like that screen, and although it isn't much of a step up from full HD it is noticeable. Forget all the nonsense Apple put out about "retina" displays and the limits of human eyes. Having a super high resolution display means you can scan web pages when zoomed out, rather than zooming in and scrolling. Your brain only needs word shapes to get a vague sense of the content. It's handy for PDFs too.
OK, that's fair. I guess I'll withhold judgement until I try it. Apple marketing notwithstanding, I find my phone's screen sufficiently detailed to cause eye-strain before running into issues with inadequate resolution. Now the 5.5" of screen real-estate may be genuinely useful. (Although I'm more interested in something small than something with an expansive screen. For that, I have a tablet or computer. To each his own.)
There are still useful features being added to phones. NFC is getting more and more useful, and always-available voice control handy. Indoor navigation (not using GPS) has also improved a lot in the last few years.
No argument there -- we're not quite done yet. However, I do think we're a while away from revolutionary changes the likes of the BlackBerry, iPhone 1, etc. Yet, people still expect something new that will blow them away every release cycle, with the inevitable disappointment of "merely" incrementally improved hardware.