Comment Re:I'll make the standard public health comment... (Score 1) 104
To be brutally honest, absolutely no one gives a fuck if the planet goes to DST or keep standard time permanently. They just want the switching to stop.
is that customers just don't know all the things a manufacturer can do if users connect the device that spins their clothes or keeps their food cold
I know exactly what these smart devices are capable of and what kinds of "features" they come with. The problem is that I DON'T WANT a "smart" device and yet that's all that's being produced.
I used to use the "smart" features on my television but a) I didn't trust that it wasn't collecting data about my usage habits and patterns and b) a lot of it's "smart" features don't actually work that well and so I put together a small Linux box on a tiny computer to give me all the smart features, only done better and with the added bonus of privacy and trust.
The last thing I want is a smart fridge, or toaster or desk lamp. I want a simple product (in terms of engineering and design) that does one thing, one thing well and isn't going to cost me extra for a bunch of hardware and features that I'm not interested in plus send data to the manufacturer.
Most people I know, even the non-tech "normies" in my life, tell me that they feel the same way.
So maybe, just maybe the correct interpretation of this data is that 50% of your customers want a non-smart version of that appliance and can't find one so they begrudgingly bought your over-priced, over-engineered garbage and are choosing to use the feature(s) that they actually care about.
The only smart feature I'd want on my fridge is to stop making ice when the box is full. If my toaster could load itself and toast bread, there might be some semblance of desire to have similar functionality across, say, a coffee maker or rice cooker or whatever. So sure if there's a robot cook I can put in my kitchen, I am on board with smart technology. Maybe some day I will warm up to smart lights.
Until then I will continue to prefer simpler machine and using what smart appliances / tech I do have in a "dumb" way.
What good is a ticket to the good life, if you can't find the entrance?
