the worst shoe design ever

I had heard about toe socks before, but not toe shoes until today when I saw an asian dude on the subway sporting something that looked like this:

Upon googling, I found that they're called Vibram Five Fingers. I guess I shouldn't knock them till I've tried them, but in my mind, there's an obvious reason why street shoes are made like mittens - they protect your toes, which you don't need to use individually anyways. If you're rock climbing, maybe it's a different story.