this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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these exist, see speed queen
the cost is going to be higher, though, because "smart" widgets can offset their initial costs through the projeted sale of the data harvested over the life of the widget
most people being ignorant to this and to the inevitable issues with corporate-built "smart" widget infrastructure, the cheapest option will generally be the most popular
my inner doctorow says that the twiddlers did this on purpose to undermine competition, especially considering the attempts to keep those widgets from being liberated
ding ding ding
there can be no (valid) competition against capitalistic cronyism.
The same thing is happening with cars. Good luck trying to get a new unconnected vehicle, and good luck to the company who plans to sell them.
I think the price difference has more to do with scale than it does data. The main reason good, simple products can't be cheaper is because the small companies who make them can't put in the same gigantic bulk orders of raw materials, nor do they have the specialized manufacturing processes or assembly lines.
The data is damn near an afterthought. Putting a touchscreen on a fridge is a great way to pretend a piece of shit is a premium product. If they can scrape your data too, then for sure they'll go for it, but the main reason the screen is on there is because most people are still buying that shit.