We're lucky in that he's happy to try to "help" folding the laundry, it does result in it taking at least 4 times as long but it's a nice educational task.
But yes point taken, although at that point, I think some of the better tv shows (like numberblocks) might be better than those toys with callback function.
Maybe you don't have a use for them, because your kid will happily look at a picture book while you fold the laundry, but not all kids are like that. One of my kids wants almost constant attention and won't let me get any housework done, so I've really learned to appreciate the few annoying toys that are interesting enough to keep him engaged for a few minutes.