Unless tech companies start making properly engineered products, I will refuse to buy them. It's less about advancing technology now; it's more about letting some marketing types chuck some components into a branded plastic box and selling it at a premium to the gadget hungry public with no consideration for a) how it will be used b) how long it will last and c) what purpose it serves.
Case in point, my IBM Model M keyboard; mechanical keyswitch, curved typing angle, built in the UK 1989 and it still works flawlessly. That's nearly 22 years - which you might just call 'retro', but it's a feat of engineering and good product design for an input peripheral to be still working years past obsolescence. Compare this to the flimsy offerings from Apple, Microsoft, Kensington, Logitech etc. which have silly 'multimedia' keys, no tactile response, about half a millimetre of key travel to activation point and peel apart in 3 years. Same thing with Apple. Third gen iPod still working from 2003 with firewire support (which is *faster* than USB 2.0!), compared to the iPod Touch/iPhone which has poor battery life, breaks if you drop it out of your pocket more than twice and most importantly no firewire support which is a step backwards! Intel iMac '06 still working (sort of, optical drive totally shot), compared to newer iMac models that overheat if you try and play HD footage.
I am playing devil's advocate here, but you cannot deny that well-engineered products just do not exist anymore. No matter how far technology goes, it won't make a difference if cutting edge products break down every few weeks and are purposely made obsolete every few months. There's my $0.02.
I guess advanced technology doesn't imply good, durable engineering, which depends on the will of the manufacturer. Making durable products isn't necessarily everyone's first goal.
Also: there appears to be a lot a of hype, and "technology" can easily become a loosely defined word.
My favorite "durable gadget": TV's from circa 1970 that still work. I like the old, "analog" TVs: the volume doesn't change at an annoying fixed predetermined rate as you simply turn a knob.
Also, I saw a real running NextStep machine recently. Quite fancy, especially for something made in the 1990's and with only four colors.
