Globalisation made the $150 iPad, and kept inflation down whilst we enjoyed the growth of the mid-90s to the mid-00s.
Before that it sent the manufacture of ICs and other components to Taiwan and Indonesia which is why very little is actually made in the west, although we do still design most of it.
Wood is worse than coal for energy created vs CO2 if that is your worry - which is of course why our stupid government keeps encouraging coal burning power stations to experiment with it.
EDIT - when I say "our stupid government" I mean the stupid one in the UK, I make no judgement on the on in the US.
