While each little piece isn't very impressive, taken together I think it makes life significantly more convenient, anticipating your every need. The promise of IoT is that everything "just works", like magic. It's like having a personal butler.

Currently IoT delivers the experience of having a grumpy butler that regularly tells you to go fuck yourself and sells your personal information to the highest bidder.

And potentially refuses to open your main door since the union, to which the butler belongs, disbanded on two weeks notice and the butler refuses to work, unless he's unionized.

They 'anticipate every need' if all your needs revolve around turning on things according to a schedule, or at most according to where you are physically.

For me, turning on lights etc are such a small part of my day, not to mention my 'needs' as to be completely insignificant.

If the machines would do something like sort, wash and fold the laundry that would be something, but as it is I people just buy them for novelty value.

I agree with this sentiment. I made the decision a few years ago to try and automate away the little things.

And I am surprised how often I actually use little things like adjusting the lighting, finding my phone or keys, or even raising and lowering blinds.

Just yelling, "Alexa, turn off all the lights" as I walk out the door, or "Alexa, set the house temperature to 72" as I lay down for bed has really cut out a lot of fastidious things that by themselves doesn't matter much, but added up use a surprising amount of time.

Saying, "why would I want something to do x or y?" Sounds just like people I remember back in the 90s that said, why would I want email when I can just call? And then, why would I use text messaging when I can just email...

To me the prize, which comes in a complete invasion of privacy, is much too high to make such a gizmo worthwhile. Ever!

To each his own, I guess.