I like to use the XYZ metric. (aka: eXamine Your Zipper)
1. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants need to be automated?
2. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants ever need costly repairs?
3. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants need regular maintenance?
4. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants expend disposable accessories?
5. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants need to be context aware?
6. Does the zipper on the fly of
your pants require internet connectivity?
7. Should the zipper on the fly of
your pants be controllable via cell phone app?
8. Should the zipper on the fly of
your pants monetize potential advertising space?
9. Should the zipper on the fly of
your pants collect behavioral analytics?
10. Should the zipper on the fly of
your pants enforce DRM policies?
A sort of 10 commandments of IoT, if you will. Shockingly, some people will answer an emphatic YES to all questions.
Your list is very cynical. "If zipper doesn't need it, why should your TV have it?" This way of thinking prevents the benefits we could have as appliances around us become connected, once the security issues are addressed.
Let's use the fridge as an example:
1,5) I don't need it to be automated, but I would love to get notification when food's about to go bad or when we are out of milk. Temperature is already automated, but we could squeeze out more efficiency if it was context aware and more intelligent (it could keep some compartments on higher temperature than others).
2,3) Appliances sometimes need maintenance anyway, but preventive maintenance would be less costly.
7) Phone apps are terrible way to control anything, to me they are just a stop-gap solution until something better comes (reliable voice control for start, then AR interfaces).
8) This would lower the cost and allow poorer households to own one; I don't mind advertising if full price gets rid of them. Kindle is great example.
9) YES! But for my benefit, and not for benefit of manufacturer and third parties. My fridge could recommend new interesting meals based on my cooking. It could also warn me about unhealthy habits and help with my diet. Over the years it could improve my quality of life without significant effort from my side.
