Yeah, I worked at one small scale place. Our final products were very expensive (around $5k-$20k, depending on features). The case that the instrument went into cost us almost $150 a pop from a local metal shop, which was (relatively) small and easy to add on to the price of the device, so the customer barely noticed anyway. Of course, we had people who'd worked in mass-produced ventures who complained constantly that it would be so much cheaper in large batches. They projected $5-15 per case, if only we sold in bulk, of course we didn't so it was lunch talk for years. They knew why we didn't bother for more “molded” parts made in China and such, but still never let it go. :)

My guess however is that within a few months if this goes semi-viral is there will be $1 versions from ali-express after they get a little time to play around. Obviously they won't be manufactured as well, but they likely will be good enough to fool some people into buying them and working for a few months before they wear out