The “smart phone” is leading to “smart appliances” that may do just that.
Engineers are developing new ideas for manufacturers of washing machines, dryers and kitchen appliances that are high tech to most of us. As frustrated as I get with Windows 8 on my Dell computer, I cringe at the thought of struggling with a smart phone in order to use my kitchen.
“This all shows an interest in forward-thinking home design, but in the end they're mostly just ideas. Electrolux knows the importance of smart appliances, but also sees the field moving at a slower pace when it comes to buying big items.” This is from an article on mashable.com
I don’t want my appliances doing more than washing clothes, drying clothes, keeping my food cold, cooking my food at the proper temperature or washing my dishes. Now if they could come up with something that would load my dishwasher, I might become more interested in this smart move.
However, the home appliance market isn't exactly noted for its cutting-edge innovation — the models simply don't change very often. They're built to age. A washing machine built twenty years ago will function similarly to its modern counterpart. It does what we expect it to do. It gets our clothes clean. The newer the design, the more complex the method of use. Only certain detergents will work in some newer washing machines. It seems that the goal of most of the major companies is, however, to continue getting the chore done. That is the major element of any home appliance.
“Compare that to, say, the cellphone, a crowded technological landscape obsessed with making the Next Big Thing. Thankfully, major companies like Electrolux and others are not rushing headlong into changing what has worked well for hundreds of years," says feature writer Yohana Desta.
Consumers are relatively conservative.
When we purchase a major appliance we expect it to last at least 10 years. With all the bells and whistles added to everything now, even the music systems of new cars, life is not becoming easier but more complicated. I think we should start a movement for manufacturers to simplify our lives. Go back to basics when refrigerators lasted for years and years, a typical electric range could be easily repaired, and small appliances were not just thrown away when some small thing went wrong.
I say thank you to the large appliance makers for keeping us in mind and knowing their customers just want good results, not the latest gadgetry.
What do you think?
