[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Grimm

A better way to think about it is that fridges won't be 'talking to the Internet'. Rather, they'll be connected to the Internet similarly to how home security and and thermostats are already connected. The fridge will simply be accessible via an application that a homeowner, customer service, or field service department uses.

The best example I can give is when a home owner calls a service department to report something like a fridge that isn't properly cooling. The customer service department will be able to remotely access the unit and will be able to see what is causing the problem. The customer service department will tell the field service department exactly what parts to take when they make the house call. Currently nearly every manufacturer/field service team struggles with this, resulting in several trips to the home.

This technology already exists and is being deployed by several of the high-end producers. There are many other examples but that is one of the most straightforward.

Wonderful!!! But I'll ask you again - why not make an appliance that is reliable?

The answer that you aren't willing to state is, of course, that repair is a major revenue stream. In many industries the parts/repair aspect of the business is actually more profitable than the OEM side. This feature doesn't help the consumer, it makes the repair process easier and reduces comebacks for the repairman. So you are essentially trying to shove a BS marketing message down the throats of some fairly intelligent people. Not a very good approach here.

So to restate my case (and the case of many on here) - I won't give you another dime for these features. In fact, I will actively avoid them because they add complexity and represent another feature to break. If I happen to have this functionality in my next appliance (like my washer and dryer do) I will not bother to connect them, because it is worthless to me and I don't want to give my appliance the ability to gather my data.

I wish every manufacturer of consumer goods would take a page from Apple. Simple, intuitive design, quality construction, attractive industrial design. Quality still sells, though gimmicks are easy.