I've always said that necessity isn't the true mother of invention; it's laziness.
Look at almost every major innovation in history and it is almost certain to be a labor or effort saving device.
Sure they have other implications, but at core everything from cars to computers are labor saving devices.
The only real exceptions are those things which make us look/feel/smell better, that which makes food taste better, and that which keeps us alive longer... satisfying those basic needs of life.
It's all about Maslow and La-Z-Boy.
