I bought the cooktop over a month ago. This is my first smooth surface cooktop and I absolutely love it. It's easy to clean. The white circles are slightly raised, and I think they are intended to protect the cooktop from scratching. I love the knob position (on the right side), and the knobs are made from stainless steel, not plastic. The cooktop was easy to install - the support brackets design accommodates installation over a different thickness of countertop.