In the larger picture, it's because the tech industry started packaging every imaginable piece of hardware as a loss leader for subscription services. That's a big reason why it's really hard to get a high quality dumb TV.

Hopefully, hopefully this new trend can break the cycle of using software to turn things into subscription services that should never be subscription services. I'm terrified that manufactures will respond with hardware encryption and legal maneuvering, but perhaps by then there will be an even larger and thriving ecosystem of open hardware as the ease of setting it up and integrating it with AI accelerates its adoption.

Sometimes manufacturers bake in the expected revenue from snooping into the price of the device. That can lead to better hardware at cheaper prices, that then you can liberate and use offline.

I used to have a small counter-top dishwasher that relied on proprietary soap cartridges. The dishwasher itself was fairly good and effective, and after hacking the cartridges to allow them to be refilled the overall price was quite acceptable!

I don't mind the app functionality of my air purifier. I get a push notification when air quality degrades, and I can see data and charts of air quality over time. I can change the settings remotely, which is nice because I have a small child and keep the "lock" function set for the actual controls.

It's easier to setup and maintain schedules, routines, or more complex functionality.

It's certainly not critical functionality, but it's nice. Same with my laundry machine and dryer sending a push notification when the cycle ends. Unnecessary, but nice.