[TeMPOraL]

That, and what GP describes, is what I see as the overall trend of the market to hollow out the middle. It's not just about technology (though it plays a big role), as all optimization coming from competitive pressure - materials, processes, business models, marketing.

What seems to universally happen is, the market bifurcates - one part is in a race to the bottom, the other (much smaller) aims for super premium tier (overpriced quality), because only those two positions are sustainable, once the race-to-the-bottom side drags all the economies of scale with it. So as a consumer, you get to chose between cheap low-quality garbage that's barely fit for purpose, and rare, super-expensive, professional/elite high-end products. There is no option for "good value for reasonable price".

This has been happening to everything - software, furniture, construction, electronics, vehicles, food, you name it.