Jim Hamm announces this latest helpful info: "Here is an article http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-quality.html explaining in detail, if somewhat lengthy and technical, why Apple's iPhone charger is so expensive for such a small device. In a word: quality. I have seen similar chargers for much less of a price, but didn't buy one. Glad I resisted the temptation to cheap out.
"Also, Mr Shirriff took apart one of the cheap chargers from China and explains, in another of his articles, the why and how they are so cheap. Since I'm on my iPad I can't go and get that link to the article and include it here. But you can click the link when you read this article."
And Jim closes with this helpful reminder, "Remember, the old adage. -- which I now, late in life, subscribe to: you get what you pay for."