Starbucks got people hooked on lattes and cappuccinos, wanting to make your own at home instead of spending $7+ a day on Starbucks isn't unreasonable.
But to each their own, of course!
(The rest of the time, it's grinder + scale + pour-over + electric kettle, and the grinder/kettle do have permanent places on the counter!)
Starbucks maybe gets credit for hooking a segment of population on double caf skinny unicorn frappes.
I hit Starbucks way too much now because food and convenience (w/app + drive thru).
maybe there's a bit of yuppie in all of us?
So spend $500-$1000 on an espresso machine instead when, as OP points out, there are perfectly fine, affordable options that will for most people be indistinguishable (and are certainly superior to Starbucks, just read anything written by the coffee afficionados)?