The principals of bicycle shifting were perfected a very long time ago.
Whenever a technology has reached it's peak of ingenuity, people invent gimmicks instead of actually innovating.
Granted, manufacturers have to eat too, but at some point we must insist on actual, revolutionary technology improvements and refuse these incremental, minor upgrades that come around once a year to drain our pockets.
Same goes for phones, laptops and computer hardware as a whole.