The Increase of "Necessary Accessories"

With the improvements and advancements in technology and manufacturing, there are thousands of new products every year. A great example is a grocery store; there are about 3 times as many products in stores now than there were in the 50's. Another example of the addition of new products are the 'accessories' that are now considered necessary for activities that used to require only basic products. Take running for example - before, you really only needed some athletic shoes, shorts and a shirt and you were good to go. Now, with the improvements in technology and creation of new products, a runner might feel that it's necessary to own several pairs of running shoes, moisture-wicking clothing, a hat, polarized sunglasses, gps watch, iPod, and heart-rate monitor. Obviously the creation of new products can be beneficial, but in some cases it seems a little excessive.