The 2025 Consumer electronics Show was held recently. Watching some coverage of it, I noted a LOT of ‘smart’ devices, with ‘AI’, that seem to be the new buzzwords.
Fridges on WiFi with cameras that ‘see’ if you’re out of milk and will make your grocery list for you or suggest recipes based on what’s inside. A microwave that senses what’s in it and cooks it with the right power level/time/etc. and all of them have touchscreens that also will let you browse the web, watch tv, etc.
Does ANYONE actually want this stuff? I’m only in my mid-50’s, but I might be entering my ‘old man yells at cloud’ phase. All I can see with these ‘features’ are ginormous privacy/security issues and a bunch more stuff to break.
I’ve been adamant for a while that I won’t buy any device that REQUIRES an app or net connections to function (besides, say, a streaming device). If Annova goes out of business, my sous vide machine will still work.
Does anyone have one of these smart devices of any sort that actually LIKE and USE that functionality? Does your smart thermostat actually save you money? Do you use the app for your multi probe thermometers when you do a roast?
Do I need to start telling the kids to pull their pants up?
I don’t like smart appliances. We pondered getting an air fryer but haven’t been energetic enough to bite the bullet on that. We even went ‘backwards’ and bought a retro design vertical grill which my teenage son and his friends call ‘the chicken toaster’.
My colleague has something very advanced called a Thermomix. But I’m very simple and prefer to stir things in plain old pots and pans.
This ‘bionic eye’ problem is, as you say, just the most extreme version of the problem with this sort of on-line dependency.
Smart thermostats have gone dead.
The owners of Fisker EV’s have banded together to trade knowledge and maintenance tips and opened their own service centers after the company filed for bankruptcy and made repairs for the proprietary systems all but impossible.
A $200 sous vide or an app-based instapot is inconvenient, sure. But then I think of the MAJOR home appliances, a fridge or stove or oven, a washer/dryer. An HVAC system! What happens when your ‘smart home’ can’t function because the internet flakes out? And every single device on your home network is a potential security risk.
Thanks for the post - I was actually thinking to post a ‘technology’ thread here the other day!
I’m a very old fashioned guy. Think copper pans, cast iron dutch ovens, gas stoves with a gas (!) oven, my car is a Diesel… you get the drift.
I don’t have any appliance that REQUIRES an app, but I do use quite a few appliances with an app.
My espresso machine is new, but has a very old fashioned design. It has an e61 group head (invented in 1961) that takes half an hour to heat up. To make it more convenient for me, I use a smart socket so I can put it on timer in the morning. The machine also has an adjustable ‘eco’ setting, meaning it saves energy after 30 minutes by not fully heating the boilers. So, when I am in bed, know that the machine is in eco mode, I can use the app to turn it off and on again, and the machine goes back to fully heated temps. Quite convenient.
I also use indeed a smart thermostat, the Nest. Meaning my central heating is on a schedule, also based on me now knowing how to efficiently use sunshine to heat up my home. The Nest is saving me energy, because it gives me information as to how much gas I use during the day, so I can adjust my behaviour. Basically making a trade off myself between comfort and heating costs. Before, I never really knew anything and just went along with it.
I still won’t buy appliances that force me to use an app, but I have become quite open to technology in my home.
We just got a brand-new air-fryer (same brand the pad in Philly had, which we liked a lot more than ours at home), and it also uses an app. Not sure what for yet. Curious to find out, tho.
I have a smartphone, but that’s where I draw the line. I prefer to be smarter than my appliances.
All I want is an icemaker in my freezer. I have never owned a washer or dryer that had any electronics on it, because they break very fast. Mr. travelmad478 will be YouTubing repairs of our ancient, analog, mechanical W/D forever.
They break 100% of the time. Ours requires a manual thawing and re-starting every month to keep it functional. That said, Mr. travelmad478 is the one who discovered how to fix it and keeps the task on his calendar, so I’m OK with it. And we live in a hot place and drink a lot of cocktails
We live in a cold place that is about to get much, much colder …. but we also drink a lot of cocktails. We just both try to stay on top of having ice cubes available at all times.
Bingo. At 66yo, I have no need for a Nest thermostat (I’m perfectly capable of getting up to change the temp if I’m cold or hot), Alexa listening in and ordering shit because she thinks I want it because I was talking about it to my sister, or a Ring doorbell (no one comes here but my sister and BIL, and they have keys).
As for a smart fridge…I make my own lists. The fridge has no idea what I have my pantry or downstairs freezers as extra items.
And how does the fridge know what’s in my foil-wrapped packages? Would I have to tell it everything that’s in the freezer?
Generally I avoid smart appliance as something with added feature to break or go wrong, with added costs…but some smart appliances have benefits and aren’t crazy expensive. Also define “smart”.
If there’s wifi that helps like being able to turn something off remotely, why not? Ditto for safety features like auto shut off if something gets too hot, etc. However if you need an app to use the appliance, generally I don’t like it but there’s exceptions. I was gifted a Joule sous vide stick about 8 years ago and use it regularly but you have to use the app to operate it. I would NOT have chosen an app only SV myself but the Joule works very well and easy, intuitive. So a lot has to do with design and ease of use. The thing is, hard to tell which are designed well and what is clunky. Generally speaking design and UI has improved…but still lots of weird or odd.
The other side is expense. I’m not willing to buy a $3k refrig with smart tech, especially if it breaks or could be costly to repair. It’s the same logic as NOT getting an ice makers in the freezer. When ice makers break, it’s just dead space….and I don’t know anyone who has repaired a broken ice maker.
So safety stuff is good. Expense or price is often a deterrent….but sometimes a smart device works well and it isn’t pricey. So case by case…with a real world test, which can be difficult for an expensive item like a frig.
I did not say I did not use, only that I generally dislike it. I accept it in a phone or a computer because it is inescapable. I far preferred land lines. I found them much less intrusive. There are so many places where chips are unavoidable unless you really pay up or resort to less desirable technology. I like fuel injectors better than carbs, but injectors not governed by chips are now antique rarities. Some of the chip free technology, like old gas stoves, is very expensive in new versions.
I use thermostats with apps in both my kitchen and to manage the heat and ac in my home, and appreciate them. I use an app for my immersion circulator, but I’m glad I don’t have to.
I have hydroponic planters with chips that I use, although I also have sub irrigation planters that use much simpler technology that I use a lot more.
…. but we also drink a lot of cocktails. We just both try to stay on top of having ice cubes available at all times.
