because idiots with more money than sense think its “neat” to pay an extra hundred dollars to be told their toaster is done toasting while they are in the other room, instead of listening for the loud ass KERSHINKLUNK
Wrong. It’s because smart people making toasters realize they can add a $0.50 piece of hardware and charge $100 more for the whole thing now that it’s “IoT enabled”… then have it call back to a server with everyone’s daily toasting routines which they can sell to data aggregators who will “anonymously” derive things like geographic power usage and breakfast hours split by demographics, to allow marketers better target ads at you.
If the final price was the same, they’d still do it, that statistical data pays for itself. Some idiots wanting to pay extra for the privilege of being tracked… is just a happy coincidence.
Look at what happened to SmartTVs: in the beginning, that “Smart” was an “extra”; now, the TVs without tracking cost extra (and have fewer features).
the only company I know of that still makes dumb TVs is Scepter… Which can be a dice roll, with how they acquire their panels.
besides, Smart TVs are indeed dangerous, but only if you give them an internet connection.
Things like blutooth toasters, though? They connect to the internet through your phone via their app, cause “smart” devices like that always require an app to use, so they can send all that data back home.
I mean I really like getting push notifications when the dishwasher or laundry is done, or the kids leave the fridge door slightly open…but a toaster is a bit excessive. I’m thinking about turning off notifications on my microwave as it is.
I like my toast on a schedule and one day when they invent the robot that moves the bread from the pantry and into the toaster I’ll have my dream. One Bluetooth device at a time.
I get unreasonably angry at salespeople when they brag about Bluetooth and wifi on appliances.
I know I shouldn’t. But wtf do you want your toaster to have internet access?
because idiots with more money than sense think its “neat” to pay an extra hundred dollars to be told their toaster is done toasting while they are in the other room, instead of listening for the loud ass KERSHINKLUNK
Wrong. It’s because smart people making toasters realize they can add a $0.50 piece of hardware and charge $100 more for the whole thing now that it’s “IoT enabled”… then have it call back to a server with everyone’s daily toasting routines which they can sell to data aggregators who will “anonymously” derive things like geographic power usage and breakfast hours split by demographics, to allow marketers better target ads at you.
…and they do it because idiots with more money than sense think its “neat” to pay an extra hundred dollars blah blah blah.
If the final price was the same, they’d still do it, that statistical data pays for itself. Some idiots wanting to pay extra for the privilege of being tracked… is just a happy coincidence.
Look at what happened to SmartTVs: in the beginning, that “Smart” was an “extra”; now, the TVs without tracking cost extra (and have fewer features).
the only company I know of that still makes dumb TVs is Scepter… Which can be a dice roll, with how they acquire their panels.
besides, Smart TVs are indeed dangerous, but only if you give them an internet connection.
Things like blutooth toasters, though? They connect to the internet through your phone via their app, cause “smart” devices like that always require an app to use, so they can send all that data back home.
Imagine eating cold toast because your phone ran out battery.
I mean I really like getting push notifications when the dishwasher or laundry is done, or the kids leave the fridge door slightly open…but a toaster is a bit excessive. I’m thinking about turning off notifications on my microwave as it is.
I like my toast on a schedule and one day when they invent the robot that moves the bread from the pantry and into the toaster I’ll have my dream. One Bluetooth device at a time.
Pee Wee Herman had a whole ass breakfast made for him way back in the 80’s.
When my toaster can put in bread via WiFi, I’ll be using it.