Obviously unwise consumers with an under-developed sense of privacy and security are happy to buy any and all kinds of smart appliances. Marketing works wonders on people -- esp. these people who see only the benefits and have a huge blind spot on the anti-feature realities.
So I am left wondering: do I need to cancel ALL smart appliances? The reason to even ask is that the market and demand for non-smart appliances is shrinking. So our choices will increasingly approach a buy a smart-appliance or nothing dichotomy. Televisions are likely already there. Before we reach that dichotomy on large appliances, the non-smart appliances will just be a bad deal because of lack of competition.
Obviously there is a possibility to buy a wi-fi dishwasher then either disable it or not give it a means of connection. But then there is a risk of sacrificing functionality. Not just upgrades but a risk that the appliance is IoT-dependent out of the box.
ATM, I think the only sensible approach is to simply cancel all smart appliances and only buy non-smart appliances. Is there a quick and easy way to separate the cloud-dependent smart appliances from the non-cloud-dependent smart appliances?
It's fair to be concerned that what's happened to televisions is gonna spread to other products, but I think standard appliances are distinct in a way that makes them safe. Standard appliances are built on tech that hasn't changed jn 50-60 years, and isn't going to. As has been mentioned, you could indeed build a dishwasher in your garage, or a refridgerator, or a dryer, etc. Are they gonna measure up to modern energy efficiency standard without a lot of research and effort, no, but the tech is all simple-enough and well-understood-enough that if the market stops filling the "dumb appliance" sector, the barrier to entry for someone new to fill it is very low. It's also exactly the kind of tech that a community of online DIY nerds could legitimately compete with, powered by 3D printers, open-source software, and hobbyist electronics.