Finally saw the books today at Barnes and Noble.
There was the PF2 Core book (which only said second edition in small letters upper right corner). And the PF2 Core book, different cover (I saw no indication it was intended as a special limited edition on the cover - it literally looked to have the identical title to the other one). And PF1 books, some of which were clearly player focused and could have also been a starting place for a player.
If I were new and looking to pick up PF....I would have no clue what to buy. It looked like three different books all with essentially the same title.
And the "correct" book (the regular PF2 core) looked like a textbook. Literally, the binding and thickness and measurement of it looked very much like a text book from college to me.
This...does not seem like wise marketing to me. In the very least, it should be clear which book to buy if I am new, from the cover.
Looking at the 5e section, it was obvious what to buy if I am new. A big box which said "D&D Starter Set", with sub heading of "Everything you need to start playing." And once I bought that, the Essentials boxed set was an obvious next purchase, as it said right on the box "Everything you need to create characters and play new adventures".
I am sure PF2 will get a starter set. But I am surprised they didn't...START with the starter set, like 5e did. I really think I'd be lost of I were new and trying to go buy PF2 right now. Particularly the two identical books, identical titles, different covers, different binding, nobody to ask what to buy (since this was Barnes and Noble, not a game store), and then all those player oriented books in the same section which are actually PF1 books.
As for the interior of the book, I flipped through it. I now see what people meant by "Looks like 4e". At least presentation-wise, the layout and format looks like 4e. Which is not a bad thing (I liked 4e) but it's definitely a choice which will turn off some people who prefer the exploration and story-oriented style to the more textbook style of this format (which matches the textbook look of the book itself).