It might have something to do with (1) how expensive it is to make software and (2) the fact that software engineers are known to sometimes be purists or aesthe

It might have something to do with (1) how expensive it is to make software and (2) the fact that software engineers are known to sometimes be purists or aesthetes or susceptible to hype. A good comparison might be (building) architects: you know that if you let an architect run wild, there's a good chance you'll end up with something that is beautiful but wildly impractical and over budget. (And to a lesser extent, every expert wants to do a good job, not a good enough job.)