Skepticism over the smart kitchen goes back at least 18 years

The New York Times, 6/13/2000

To Invade Homes, Tech Is Trying to Get in Your Kitchen.  (The New York Times, 3/25/2018)

Yet the so-called smart kitchen remains a tough sell. With the kitchen often a hub for families and friends, habits there can be hard to change. And many people see the kitchen and mealtimes as a haven from their otherwise always-connected lifestyle. Only 5 percent of American households own smart appliances today, up from 3 percent in 2014, according to the research firm Parks Associates. 

“Will we see a reinvention of the kitchen like we saw in the living room?” said Michael Wolf, a tech analyst who hosts a podcast and a conference about the smart kitchen. “I don’t think it will happen overnight. There’s going to be a lot of skepticism.”

The downsides:

1. Purchase cost
2. Maintenance costs
3. Expensive components (e.g., touch screens)
4. Difficulty to repair
5. Longevity (talk to any appliance repair person about this topic)