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But consumers would buy dumb TVs with dongles if that’s what they made. We used to buy digital set top boxes. Antennas. VCRs. DVD players. Manufacturers defini

But consumers would buy dumb TVs with dongles if that’s what they made. We used to buy digital set top boxes. Antennas. VCRs. DVD players. Manufacturers definitely jumped on the chance to add software and an internet connection to TVs. Why sell a product once, when you can do that and then sell your customers to ad agencies?

dwighttk 5y ago
No they wouldn’t because those would cost more. Connie Consumer is looking at two TVs and buying the less expensive one (that is the right size) most of the time.
schwartzworld 5y ago
In the days of VCRs, they sold tvs with those built in too! An obvious convenience until the VCR part broke, which anything with mechanical components will eventually.
- cassianoleal 5y ago
  That's not too different from when they stop updating the OS and apps stop supporting the version you have on your "smart" TV.
  - Gigachad 5y ago
    At that point the users just buy one of those nvidia TV sticks and move on with life.
    - cassianoleal 5y ago
      Which is the equivalent of getting an external VCR to the TV with an embedded one. Different tech, similar problem, similar solution.
- thaumasiotes 5y ago
  My mother bought a house in which the oven and the microwave were, for some inconceivable reason, one piece. We all hate and despise the microwave. But we can't get rid of it, because it's part of the oven. I can't understand what anyone involved in the production of this monstrosity was thinking. It's a gigantic failure at the level of product design, product manufacturing, and house furnishing. There is not even any "convenience" aspect to attaching your oven to a microwave.
- 2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
  They had TVs with built in DVD players too. But I don't recall those ever supplanting the separate devices. I can see why you might want to combined devices. You can reduce clutter and simplify cable management. TVs with built in digital TV receivers make sense. I like monitors with built in USB hubs so I can use different computers with the same monitor by just swapping the HDMI and USB cables. But they saw the vertical integration possibilities and took advantage of it here. I'm not sure you are even getting a hardware discount to view those ads.

dwighttk 5y ago

No they wouldn’t because those would cost more. Connie Consumer is looking at two TVs and buying the less expensive one (that is the right size) most of the time.

schwartzworld 5y ago

In the days of VCRs, they sold tvs with those built in too! An obvious convenience until the VCR part broke, which anything with mechanical components will eventually.

cassianoleal 5y ago
That's not too different from when they stop updating the OS and apps stop supporting the version you have on your "smart" TV.
- Gigachad 5y ago
  At that point the users just buy one of those nvidia TV sticks and move on with life.
  - cassianoleal 5y ago
    Which is the equivalent of getting an external VCR to the TV with an embedded one. Different tech, similar problem, similar solution.
thaumasiotes 5y ago
My mother bought a house in which the oven and the microwave were, for some inconceivable reason, one piece. We all hate and despise the microwave. But we can't get rid of it, because it's part of the oven. I can't understand what anyone involved in the production of this monstrosity was thinking. It's a gigantic failure at the level of product design, product manufacturing, and house furnishing. There is not even any "convenience" aspect to attaching your oven to a microwave.
2muchcoffeeman 5y ago
They had TVs with built in DVD players too. But I don't recall those ever supplanting the separate devices. I can see why you might want to combined devices. You can reduce clutter and simplify cable management. TVs with built in digital TV receivers make sense. I like monitors with built in USB hubs so I can use different computers with the same monitor by just swapping the HDMI and USB cables. But they saw the vertical integration possibilities and took advantage of it here. I'm not sure you are even getting a hardware discount to view those ads.