Too many 'smart' devices become dumb too quickly
Karlin Lillington
Smart devices and appliances are those with an internet connection,
anything from a fitness tracker or printer to a television or washing
machine. Most households have smart devices - they're increasingly not a
choice, but a default. In some categories, such as TVs, you'd have
struggled in recent years to find anything that isn't 'smart', whether
you wanted it or not.
But research by UK consumer advocates Which? indicates that support for
smart devices and appliances may only be supplied for as little as two
years (that's the minimum under EU regulations), even for an item as
costly as a new dishwasher. This was the case with an LG 'smart' model
even though, Which? notes, smart appliances that provide additional
features can cost far more - around €300 extra.
While large smart appliances can be run from the machine's control
panel, they also can be controlled with apps. Extra features such as
specialised wash cycles can be downloaded to the machine, or it can
assess the most efficient programme for a load of dishes or laundry.
Basic problems can be diagnosed and even repaired via the app.
To pay a premium for such features but lose the ability to access them
within a few years is ridiculous. Worse, this process isn't obvious to
consumers who making the logical assumption that an expensive 'smart'
purchase will remain smart for its operational lifespan.
And then there's the negative environmental impact when items lose key
smart features and software support years before they'd otherwise be
replaced. With large appliances, that means more go to landfill when
otherwise functional. Smaller digital devices also have significant
environmental impacts, and should be used as long as possible.
Manufacturers
But Which? found that manufacturers did little to highlight their
products' short smart lives. LG currently offers just two years of
guaranteed support for TVs, dishwashers and washing machines despite
estimated lifespans of 13, 11 and seven years respectively. Sony
supports its smart TVs for only two years, and Samsung for just three.
HP printers get a mere three years of support, though an inkjet printer
should last up to 13 years.
Which? approached 119 brands about hundreds of smart device products,
across 20 different categories, but by late last year only 49 per cent
replied with clear information on support periods. Major brands such as
AEG, Apple, Epson, Hoover and Whirlpool didn't respond at all.
My own experience with smart has been discouraging. I've had a smart
washing machine for a few years, though I bought it on the basis of good
reviews, not its additional smart elements, none of which have proven to
be smart at all.
It came with an app that initially was only available for Android
handsets (an important point that wasn't made explicit), but we're an
iPhone household. I wasn't about to buy a handset just to download an
exotic wash programme that wasn't one of the 13 already available
directly on the machine's dial. Of those, only three get used regularly
anyway.
However, not having the basic fault diagnostics ability was irritating
and when, after a couple of years, an iPhone version of the app became
available, I downloaded it - only to find it wouldn't work because my
machine didn't seem to be supported any longer. Those exasperating
shortcomings are among the issues Which? highlights.
Which? is campaigning for legislative change in the UK to require more
clarity on product lifespans for smart products and the term of software
support. In the EU, changes are coming, primarily through proposed
initiatives under the EU's New Consumer Agenda, part of the Circular
Economy Action Plan and a follow-on to the European Green Deal. These
aim to address built-in product obsolescence that pushes consumers to
replace working products, and will require products to be repairable.
Manufacturers will also need to be clearer on how long a product is
supported, a badly-needed improvement for smart products.
"The issue of unrepairable phones and laptops, which triggered a lot of
the legislative revisions, became more prominent during the pandemic
when shortages of supplies, combined with increased demand, exacerbated
the problem, which is, of course, a global issue," a spokeswoman for the
EU's European Consumer Centre Ireland told me.
However, even with regulatory change, many smart devices will still have
a basic shortcoming: software capability outpacing the existing hardware.
"The main issue in terms of technology is that smart devices' software
updates more frequently than the hardware, and consumers will sometimes
find that the new software updates are not supported by older hardware
or that devices do not behave optimally in terms of functionality after
the latest software update," the spokeswoman said.
That means that while consumers will have to be informed about a smart
device's smart lifespan - a welcome change - its smart obsolescence
often will remain. Surely this is untenable, and encourages some of the
worst kinds of waste: huge appliances and toxin-containing digital
devices. For now, smart appears pretty dumb.
https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/2023/02/16/too-many-smart-devices-become-dumb-too-quickly/
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