@0 @skippy real answer, if a manufacturer puts a programmable screen on a thing instead of dials they don't figure out how the customer interacts with it now, they have saved that for later.

1/4

They are called HMIs, Human-Machine Interface. For instance, you used to have a dial with 0-9 on it to adjust how cold the fridge is, you would experiment until you were happy with it. With the HMI, you could have a digital dial, but the screen programming turns that into a temperature request.

@0 @skippy
2/4

Older refrigerators controlled the temperature of the freezer, then the refrigerator space had areas of progressive coldness the closer to the freezer stuff is put. But you have trained the customer to expect precise control. So now you have zones in the fridge and the screen let's you set zone targets and see the actual temperature approach target.

Oh wait, the customer doesn't know a temperature they want their milk at. Update the programming and the screen will tell you.

@0 @skippy
3/4

Or better yet, the screen will have a mode that manages that for you, then tells you where to put the milk and leafy green veggies for optimal temperature.

"Isn't this interactivity with our product exciting? Sure makes you want to pay $200 more for our TempMaster 2000 with Tempcontrol Zones! But wait! The TempMaster 3000 has a camera! No more messing up your target temps by opening the door to look!

Same HMI can be put in multiple models with different controls and sensors.

@0 @skippy
4/4

And the marketing team and programmers can keep up the feature creep by progressively playing with the display and how it shows and manages the few things it really does. Hoping for a model year car effect in an otherwise mature market.

Imagine having to place your milk in specific spot so your refrigerator can weight it and email you when it is time to buy more. The screen is where you give it access to your WiFi password and email address.

@0 @skippy
Imagine the model TM5000 sends its internal video to corporate where the pictures are analyzed by AI to get a list of all the brands you buy vs your region, then they send target ads to your HMI screen and, at the touch of a screen, Safeway can send a virtual coupon to your email that can be scanned from your phone at point of purchase.

Typical corporate hellscape, late stage capitalism stuff where the manufacturer tries to capture its customers and sell data on them to advertisers.

@skippy @0 in a dumb fridge, which I prefer, if anything in the top directly below the freezer gets ice in it, I just move that manual dial back by one. That is all the controls and feed back I, or anyone else, really needs.

It really is just an electric ice box and cool storage cabinet underneath, or side by side now. A solved problem for 100+ years.

That is why growth capitalists have to trap customers and milk them for sellable products, like cows.