The tech era’s signature devices delivered marginal utility rather than real cultural impact

Evidence

Similarly, the Internet of Things (IoT) trend offered little beyond novelty. “Smart” home devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home promised a new age of “ambient computing” operated by voice but rarely extended beyond basic functions like setting kitchen timers and telling preprogrammed jokes. And now basic kitchen appliances required firmware updates. The Apple Watch, launched in 2015, proved to be very profitable but only added marginal improvements, such as fitness tracking. Meanwhile, virtual reality headsets like Oculus promised immersive experiences but induced nausea for many users and never culminated in a meaningful cultural movement. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 513

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Technology failed to deliver the predicted society of leisure and liberation from work — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1627