A Lot of People Don't Want "Smart" (Things That Spy, Stop Working, Cannot be Repaired Easily)
They also don't want slop disguised as "intelligence"
This past week I did a lot of tidying up (desk, computer, rooms, fish tank etc.) and in the process I tested my Palm PDA, which is turning 22 next year. Yes, I know it's not Free software (some of the software I use on it is GPL-licensed). It also lacks Wi-Fi and synchronisation projects are no longer maintained (haven't been for ages, but with some command-line pilot tools and an SD card my data can be passed to and from the PDA).
Who gets to decide what's "dumb", "old", and "Luddite"?
The same companies that try to sell new gadgets? And which pay all the major media to sell people stuff by causing them shame, insecurity etc. (it's a classic marketing tactic)?
German news from DW says that "Automakers see worst profits since 2009", but then consider what it is they're trying to sell.
As an associate put it, "new cars are surveillance machines which no one wants..."
9 days ago I spoke to someone for a few hours about renewing my licence to drive (valid until 2026). He said that policies have changed and some are no longer physical but are instead some virtual thing with a "phone" and "app". He checked online for me and said that issuance of a physical licence (card) was still doable, then spoke about passport-sized photos, length of validity (before expiry/renewal), and of course renewal costs. By the time he was finished I had already lost desire/will to bother; seeing what sorts of cars they manufacture these days - a subject I wrote about many times before - I very much doubt I'll buy a car any time soon. Buying a car in 2026 would mean buying hundreds of computers (some large, but mostly small ones) and some chassis with wheels below them. Each time a computer has some issue (either hardware or software, e.g. some bad software update) that means an expensive trip to a nearby or distant garage. You cannot fix it yourself, in some cases they've made it illegal to try to correct things, and they say it's because of "Safety". Each time is happens it's not cheap, and repair would be almost impossible a decade later (lack of spare parts or relevant knowledge).
Heck, maybe my laptop's uptime will be longer than the time a new car lasts until a computer in it breaks down.
Many people feel too shy to openly admit they don't like "Smart" things; as the connotation might be, they themselves aren't smart (or not "Smart enough" to operate "Smart" things).
People grew accustomed to it; like the patronising voice of people (staff of energy suppliers) who phone to foist "Smart Meters" upon us or folks over the counter who act shocked and awed [1, 2] when you tell them you don't have a "Smart" 'Phone' but do have a landline number. Or won't use a card (that you already have) but instead pay with coins and banknotes.
Andy wrote many good articles about this topic. In September he points out that "if you can't make it work with a pad and pencil, some loyal and properly trained staff, and cash money, it probably isn't going to work at a more complex scale. No amount of POS tech will change that, and it may well upset your core customers in the process. Your authenticity as a businesses is based on human interpersonal connections. Sending a machine, however cute and colourful, to do a human's job is a mistake - a lesson we are already learning around "AI"." █