Oh. So it's all about you then. I thought it was a piece about paying more for good craftsmanship but actually it's about how that makes you smarter than certain other people who buy expensive things and how you're judged for it. Ok.
I suggest you re-read it. 'I' and 'me' are used in the piece due to, well, me writing it, but it is much more globally applicable than you make it out to be. Think about it a bit deeper.
Already did. I still think it is wasteful to spend money on products like iPhones or nice cars or what have you when you can get a cheaper, probably older, slightly-less-well-made product and learn to fix it when it breaks or, better yet, put in some labor and improve the parts that aren't as good. The incredible premiums you pay are for people to already do that for you.
I have a neighbor who touches up cars. I have never seen him working on or driving an expensive car in his life. He buys somewhat-old vehicles and touches them up to be like new. Similar to him, I also enjoy taking old computer products and breathing new life into them.
I don't mean it is wasteful to buy those things in the sense that you are spending too much money. I agree with the last paragraph: there's no reason to spot wealthy people from spending their money. However, people who buy New Cars, the Newest iPhones, New Expensive Latest Top-tier Well-crafted Things are contributing to the physically wasteful mindset that pervades the upper class in many first world countries. Old stuff is broken and never fixed, tossed aside for the latest, most well-made thing when the old one was perfectly serviceable in the first place, had they the will to learn instead of just crossing their fingers and hoping the Chinese factories that made their awesome, well-structured, well-advertised products made them to last.