Yes, you have possibly valid use cases. I should have clarified that my objection is to Internet connectivity specifically, although I am not yet persuaded tha

Yes, you have possibly valid use cases. I should have clarified that my objection is to Internet connectivity specifically, although I am not yet persuaded that a 1% efficiency gain for my refrigerator or other appliance (regardless of connectivity) justifies the additional expense and complexity of using a microprocessor.