Yeah, bullshit was a hard term, I am sorry, but I just can not see how these things require a specific "home" device;
- grocery list:
So some kind of Todo list. But you can do that with your mobile computation device, or just take notes physically?
- order $thing:
I do not think that humans need more convenient buying-experiences than what is already there (think Amazon, food-delivery services, etc.). I guess most people want to _see_ what they pay for and look up specific apps?
- doctor schedules:
The scheduling problem. Maybe I am out of touch, but I would write an e-mail and/or call?
- dish washer cron:
Ok, I do not get that? Why would you want to schedule a dish washer job for a specific time?
- turn on the oven:
Yeah, but there is surely a UI for the oven, that has the functionality to turn on the oven (seems like a core feature). If it's really oldschool, it has a button that one may press (or a slider). That may seem inconvenient, so it may have a web-ui. However there is NO reason whatsoever why it should be connected to the "cloud".
You could use your phone or take notes on paper, but being able to make a note that i need more flour the second i reach for the bag in the back of the cabinet is significantly easier.
- order $thing
Again, you might not think so, but instead of just making a note that i need more flour, i'd love to be able to just ask for more flour and know it will be my "normal" brand and will be here in a day or 2.
- dish washer
Because it's loud, uses up hot water, and at least I often forget to start it until it's too late. I'd love to remember "oh shit i forgot to start the dishes" and just call out to have it go (or say to start at 1am when i'm asleep).
- turn on the oven
Again, in a perfect world i'd love this ability. I start on dinner and can just ask the oven to be at 425 in 15 minutes. Nobody is asking for it to be connected to the cloud specifically, but if it is and is secure i'd have no problems with it.
Most people put things in the dishwasher or in the oven and then turn it on right there and then. Wanting the ability to turn it on remotely after you've put the necessary things in it is an unusual edge case, and one most people wouldn't pay extra for.
Plus... An API to remotely turn on your oven is really dangerous if it isn't completely secure. I don't think I'd trust any IoT company to make one I'd have in my house.
Most of the time you have to pre-heat the oven before you start baking stuff. And for the dishwasher, a lot of energy-saving plans make electricity cheaper in the evening/night so plenty of people load the dishwasher during the day and then turn it on at night. This is what my family has been doing for decades and it's what I'd also do if I had a dishwasher at home.
A remote control dishwasher doesn't solve the "forgot to put it on" problem. It's still relying on forgetful humans. What you need is an autonomous dishwasher that puts itself on if it's full of dirty dishes and the electricity cost is low enough.
Solutions that solve the wrong problem are not solutions.
And solutions that don't understand the problem aren't solutions ;)
In the dishwasher case, sometimes i'm forgetting, others i just want it to go on at a specific time. Sure, I could fiddle with the current method of a button that adds +1 hour wait time when pressed (and doing math in my head to figure out when 1am is...), or it could have yet another clock i need to reset when the power goes out and i could schedule it via time, but those are clunky and have a poor interface.
I don't want my washer going on it's own, we often load it as much as possible before turning it on to avoid wasting electricity and water, that means it may sit there a few days 70% full waiting for a few more dishes before we start it. And if electricity is cheapest while i have guests over, I don't want it running then (as it's pretty loud and front-and-center in our house). Also dishwashers have a bunch of settings (most of them i believe useless, but they are there anyway). Being able to tell the dishwasher to turn on tonight when i realized that i forgot to start it right as i'm going to bed would be convenient.
It's not revolutionary or anything, just a small nice-to-have. Just like how having a connected thermostat has made it nicer to be able to adjust the temperature from the couch or bed, and how having "smart" light switches makes it nice to turn on the fan or turn off the porch light without having to get up. Nothing that will change the world, but each one is a small improvement in my life.
I recently got an Echo and the shopping list feature is great, even given I'm outside the US and can't use the ordering functionality.
It's very easy (don't have to get phone out or find paper) to say "Alexa, add Cornflakes to my shopping list" and then when I'm at the shop, have a live list to check off.
The timer function is simple but effective as well. "Alexa, set a timer for 10 minutes" when cooking pasta. I get so sick of getting my phone out and doing it that way.
These sound like tiny things, but they're so much more natural.
My three year old asks "Alexa, how tall is an elephant?" etc.
Yes, there is an Alexa app that presents the shopping and todo lists. Both with checkboxes. It also shows you a history of things you've said to it, how they were interpreted, and you can give it feedback. In addition, you use the app to set any audio accounts (Spotify, etc) that you want it to use when playing music.
I have several small apartments where it's open concept and the dishwasher is loud enough to drown out the TV when it's at a reasonable volume. So, after you wrap up dinner and throw everything in the dishwasher, you can tell Google Home to start it in an hour while it's still fresh in your mind. Then you sit down and watch a show for an hour.
The alternative is to crank the TV up to hear it over the dishwasher or start the dishwasher in an hour after your show is done - but that's easy enough to forget. It's a very real scenario.
As for the pre-heating the oven. Maybe I'm at my desk (I work from home) and wrapping up my day. I look at today's meal plan and see I need to bake some chicken. I can ask Google Home to get the oven started while I wrap up my day.
* order more $thing
* schedule an appointment with (doctor|vet|dentist)
* start the dishwasher at 4 P.M.
* turn on the oven when I get home
etc. Just because you can't think of how it will benefit you doesn't mean it's bullshit.