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It's optimizing for a different type of convenience. If I get a smart toaster, such as the Revolution Cooking Smart Toaster, then I'll get a bunch of nifty fea

It's optimizing for a different type of convenience. If I get a smart toaster, such as the Revolution Cooking Smart Toaster, then I'll get a bunch of nifty features: touchscreen controls, notifications on my phone when the slice is toasted, etc. It'll be nice and a lot of fun for a while. Initial experience is great. A year passes. The touchscreen fades. The wi-fi chip doesn't work with my new router. The notifications app doesn't work with my phone's OS upgrades. I'm jealous of the cool new model at my friend's house. I'll be shopping again in the near future. Instead, I could get a complicated dumb toaster, such as the Panasonic FlashXpress. It's got a ton of buttons that all do different things. Every morning for the next three weeks is going to be an experiment; I'll need to learn the ins-and-outs. Eventually, I can play it like a musical instrument. From there, I'll be able to use it until it dies, probably ten-plus years. The toaster will not be something I think about, really, at all. It's just a tool that sits there and does the job well. So here's the question. Do you prefer the immediate conveniences of using the latest and greatest, next year be damned? Or do you prefer the long-term convenience of not ever having to think about it?

chris_wot 6y ago
I go the middle ground. I get a toaster that toasts with a dial that goes from 1 to 10, and set it to 4 for my toast. Result: toast goodness. I don't need a toaster like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRq_SAuQDec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRq_SAuQDec
toomanybeersies 6y ago
The toaster I bought for $10 a couple of years back has 2 buttons (frozen and cancel) and a single dial. I've never felt the need for more than that, I don't even use the frozen button.
catlifeonmars 6y ago
That makes sense to me. In software design terms, this is a generalization of the single responsibility principle. That being said, I there’s still plenty of room for smart appliances that are fault tolerant and degrade gracefully. I agree that most “smart” things on the market today fail to implement either of these features particularly well, but I see no fundamental reason why they couldn’t.
- catlifeonmars 6y ago
  As far as toasters go, I’ve never owned one. I usually toast things in my oven or on a pan.

chris_wot 6y ago

I go the middle ground. I get a toaster that toasts with a dial that goes from 1 to 10, and set it to 4 for my toast. Result: toast goodness. I don't need a toaster like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRq_SAuQDec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRq_SAuQDec

toomanybeersies 6y ago

The toaster I bought for $10 a couple of years back has 2 buttons (frozen and cancel) and a single dial. I've never felt the need for more than that, I don't even use the frozen button.

catlifeonmars 6y ago

That makes sense to me. In software design terms, this is a generalization of the single responsibility principle. That being said, I there’s still plenty of room for smart appliances that are fault tolerant and degrade gracefully. I agree that most “smart” things on the market today fail to implement either of these features particularly well, but I see no fundamental reason why they couldn’t.

catlifeonmars 6y ago
As far as toasters go, I’ve never owned one. I usually toast things in my oven or on a pan.