xena1•1mo ago

Overheard a guy at the coffee shop say his smart speaker was 'just a dumb clock now'

I was waiting in line at The Daily Grind yesterday and this guy was telling his friend his Echo Show basically just shows the time since the last big update. He said the new layout buries his smart home controls under three menus and pushes ads for Amazon music he doesn't use. It got me thinking about how many reviews focus on unboxing and first impressions, but never check back after six months when a software update can wreck a gadget's main use. My own tablet got a lot slower after a year, but I never see that in the initial hype. How do you even find reviews that talk about long-term use, or is that just something we have to figure out on our own after buying?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.ivan1mo ago

Forget six months, what about planned obsolescence? They might slow things down on purpose so you buy the new model. Ever notice how updates hit right before a new product launch?

jamie_white1mo ago

Wait, updates before launches? That's a pattern.

the_adam1mo ago

Classic. They sell you a smart home gadget, then update it into a dumb clock. Genius move.