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Well, I think that gadgets are waaaaay too expensive at their current price point. You see, I live in Europe in former Socialistic country. I earn fraction of money what an engineer at my position would earn in USA or Germany or Austria. (And several-fold what a Chinese or Indian worker does, so I am not really complaining, just stating facts.)
I still can't justify spending those ungodly sums of money that a tablet costs for the functionality it would provide me with. My first e-ink reader - Sony PRS500 - was a major budget buster for me. Even my current one was very expensive from my point of view.
I am, however, willing to pay premium for certain products. My dishwasher and washing machine are made by Siemens in Germany. My refrigerator is made by Liebherr.
I am willing to pay for "brand" tools. When I buy a chisel for carving wood, or tools for metalworking lathe, for example, I a willing to pay 500% premium for Czech made one. In fact, for such tools I am willing to pay for a second-hand tool 200% of what I would pay for a new one made in China or India or Indonesia or ... . I have paid 400% premium for some hand-held electrical tools I own. Like an angle grinder or a drill. This is where the difference in quality is really obvious. But you have to differentiate. For some jobs a Chinese made junk tool(*) is good enough. For a tool you are going to use very seldom, even non-brand would do. For a tool you wish to use often and for long periods of time, it is worth to invest into Proxxon, Metabo, Makita or at least a "blue" [professional line] Bosch.
(*) Disclaimer, not all tools made in China or India are junk, but you pay premium for ones with guaranteed good quality as well. Many "brand" manufacturers have their factories located God-knows-where. When talking about junk tools I mean those super-cheapo ones sold in Tesco or other big chains.
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