If I go to “shop all” in the refrigerators section of Home Depot’s site and look at the count next to the filter for “smart” features - Only 97 out of 798 refrigerators they sell have smart features.
TVs are different as there is a large number of people who realize they don't need TVs anymore, they need gaming/computer monitors and can stream all the content they need. This increased substitutability with cheap, dumb monitors -- you no longer need a TV to watch TV -- means the pricing power of TV makers has fallen -- TV prices have plunged dramatically -- and they are desperately trying to find new business models and new value propositions, one of these is to subsidize the physical product and start monetizing attention.
I don't think washing machine makers have this option, nor is the internet a threat to replace washing machines. Of course business majors keep graduating and they will get bright ideas like selling information about what you wash to third parties, and they will have dreams of subscription revenue, but until they can provide a compelling value proposition, these are not going to get widely adopted. TVs are declining in price at 20% a year. Users are getting great value in exchange for putting up with the ads.
The first smart refrigerator came out in 2000. The first smart tv came out later in 2007-2008. I think smart appliances just aren’t as popular as their dumb appliance counterparts. But yeah, maybe someday they will be.
Yeah, though I would argue that smart kitchen appliances have a lot more going against them than smart tvs.
- Historically, the TV has been used for playing media transmitted on radio waves, so an internet connected TV isn't a big surprise.
- Television media formats seem to completely shift every decade or 2, so people are very used to buying something they'll throw away soon.
- People usually take their televisions around with them when they move houses, but not appliances. Transfering "smart" things between owners is generally a pain and a security hazard.
Not sure exactly how old that fridge is but I think it’s unlikely that it’s anywhere close to as energy efficient as an equivalent fridge made today would be.
Appliances have made huge strides in energy efficiency in the last 30 years.
Many people I know are asking for and seeking out smart tvs. It's not being pushed on them. I don't hear those people asking for smart fridges (but occasionally I hear them talk about integrated ice makers).
For me it's like separation of concerns. Give me a TV with good picture/sound and a good selection of ports. If I want a smart TV I'll stick a Chromecast/Fire stick in it; if I want a metrics displayer I'll use a Raspberry Pi; or maybe I'll use it with a games console. I'd prefer not to pay for smart features If I'm not gonna use them.