[ryanwaggoner]

I don't read much of this language as "flowery" at all, and I think removing almost any of the words that you're decrying as not adding anything change the meaning and tone.

For example, your rewritten version is not an accurate representation of what the author was trying to convey, and mangles the two separate points into one. The contextual acceleration the author is describing is not the same thing as the circle "reaching out" as it approaches buttons.