I think the initial definition is incorrect. A definition of 'toy' needs to include motivation. Most of the time, people will use a toy for its entertainment

I think the initial definition is incorrect. A definition of 'toy' needs to include motivation. Most of the time, people will use a toy for its entertainment value rather than its ability to help them carry out productive work. This is the reason that toys aren't always considered as 'serious'. The essay seems to be suggesting that a small, less complicated product, has a lot of benefits over larger, more complicated products. I don't think this is surprising.