I've noticed that there's a similarity now with bikes and headphones where focus on technology actually has left consumers with higher prices and less choice by killing the middle segment. If you want a racer today it's probably going to have hydraulic disc brakes and carbon frame and electric gears, and an entry level bike will cost twice as much as an pro-bike 15 years ago. Besides there are only so many models a manufacturer can make and they also need to fill the electric bikes segment which reduces the middle range even more.

I think we seen this exact same thing since apple killed of the headphone jack forcing people to Bluetooth headphones. Now you either buy super cheep headphones, or super expensive ones. But there's basically no middle range. And since headphone manufacturers not traditionally been doing software they don't have the skills in-house which makes them buy the technology from elsewhere and leaves the consumer with basically the exact same products but with different logos - which means even less actual choice.