Well, there’s another change that made it more viable - back then people had spare batteries cause they needed them. Now most devices will last a full day of normal use, so the ‘average user’ doesn’t care much about swapping batteries.
My gripe was physical keyboards. Until they basically disappeared entirely, I tried to buy exclusively devices with physical keyboards. I liked my T-Mobile Sidekick except it could stand to be thinner.
The concept of a species of intelligent creature that is naturally inclined to servitude and loves it is actually a very interesting concept. There’s nothing wrong with exploring such a concept in a fictional setting.
Not that they were really explored in the Harry Potter books, but I could certainly see such an exploration being fascinating, since it is wrong to enslave a people and it is wrong to prevent them from doing what makes them happy and fulfilled…which happens to be serving.