It shuts off after 11 hours? Because of power or just automatic? Can you point me to a link? Not being aggressive or anything; I just never heard about that because I never had to use it so I never bothered reading up about it. If it's an auto-shutoff, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an easy fix...though, I agree, considering how much it costs, it's a little silly to have to do it yourself.
Asian countries?
You bring up Bose...interesting. The thing is, what Bose has going for it is good marketing; you'll see their ads everywhere: on TV, in magazines, in newspapers, etc. They have good design too, both in terms of usability and appearance. However their audio quality is nowhere near level as would be suggested by their price and similarly priced competitors. This isn't saying that they're complete crap, but better speakers can be had for cheaper. Sadly, the other companies' marketing sucks and they don't look all that good...maybe they spend marketing money on production and design instead? Anyway, Bose is effectively the Apple of speakers, except worse.
The question is, why do cool and stylish things have to cost so much? The answer is, because part of their coolness and stylishness is derived from their expense, from their exclusivity. If the RAZR had sold for $100 with contract, people would have been, "eh, whatever". But it started out at $500! $500 as a true fashion phone...that's the only thing I think that can explain it.
I find it amusing that you feel buying a $300 music device every year acceptable. Well, I congratulate Steve Jobs; his job is done.