Exactly. I get notified if I leave my Garage Door open too long. I have lights toggle on/off automatically, either depending on time-of-day or presence detection. My bathroom exhaust fans are cheap, but automatically come on if humidity is too high. All done with Home Assistant and Z-wave devices.
There's a difference between a "Smart Home" that has local smart devices, and a "Smart Home" that's wired 24/7 into Amazon or Google. I don't NEED wi-fi enabled toasters, refrigerators or microwaves. I don't need a freakin' LCD screen on the front of my refrigerator that shows ms THE CONTENTS OF MY REFRIGERATOR-- I can open the door.
What the article should say, is that manufacturers are discovering that pointless web-enabled devices and always-on speakers are getting less popular. As they should.