Limited Apple Watch controls for select Whirlpool appliances coming in 2018
Whirlpool will add Apple Watch support to its app in 2018, allowing users of the wearable to control more than 20 compatible appliances when the technology is fully deployed.
Announced at the Las Vegas 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, users with compatible appliances will be able to check or change oven temperature during a cook cycle, change the type of wash cycle while a clothes washer is in use, or see if a cycle has started or how much time remains on a a cycle. It doesn't appear at this time that the appliance can be turned on remotely by the Apple Watch, though.
Appliances listed as compatible with the technology include the Smart Cabrio washer and dryer, the Smart Front Load washer and dryer. At present, it isn't clear which ovens will work with the technology.
The Whirlpool app for the iPhone already exists. Apple Watch compatibility will arrive "later this year" according to Cnet.
Announced at the Las Vegas 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, users with compatible appliances will be able to check or change oven temperature during a cook cycle, change the type of wash cycle while a clothes washer is in use, or see if a cycle has started or how much time remains on a a cycle. It doesn't appear at this time that the appliance can be turned on remotely by the Apple Watch, though.
Appliances listed as compatible with the technology include the Smart Cabrio washer and dryer, the Smart Front Load washer and dryer. At present, it isn't clear which ovens will work with the technology.
The Whirlpool app for the iPhone already exists. Apple Watch compatibility will arrive "later this year" according to Cnet.
Comments
I can see people wanting to control the temp in their homes, scheduling the grass watering (or turning it off remotely if it’s raining), controlling the oven, etc. but no one cares managing the dryer/washer remotely.
Based on my purchase of a new Whirlpool refrigerator, dishwasher, range, microwave, and washer, and dryer, I'll NEVER buy Whirlpool again. Ironically, the microwave received the lowest ratings (1 star!!!) and is the ONLY one of those six products that hasn't failed...yet. The washer and dryer have been the most problematic and they were the highest rated models by Consumer Reports at the time! The dishwasher's plastic handle is poorly design and breaks in half every couple of years and the circulation pump has failed. The display on the dryer failed right after the one year warranty expired and parts were no longer available. The refrigerator doesn't like to dispense water, but happily dispenses ice all over the floor.
Here's the thing -- they all suck. I've had Frigidaire, LG, and others, they all fail.
Yes but my water heater is outdoors. We simply cannot rate the usefulness or value add of this stuff based on whether we don't need it, personally.
Not sure if Whirlpool even do a decent oven with say in built temperature probe with steam cycle control like our Bosch, which are really useful and worth being able to monitor remotely.
Knowing what point your laundry is at in the wash/rinse/dry cycle could be handy as stated, especially in homes that have family members responsible for doing their own.
Control is another matter. I'm not sure I want to be able to control many appliances. At the moment I have Hue lights and a hot water dispenser that can be controlled by phone, Watch, and Alexa. But given the possibility of devices being hijacked, I'm slightly paranoid, to the point of putting them on their own router along with the Dots, and not using them with my phone.
So many of these devices use no encryption, and I have no idea what level of security is provided by HomeKit.
Another speed bump is the general reliability, or lack of it, that I've had with Siri, Alexa, and Hue. Now that's just me, and apparently thousands of others have not had any problems with the aforementioned. However— that doesn't help me.
We go up the stairs to see if the washer is done. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Checking the phone or watch could be handy.
Caveat: Of course, a little more stairs is probably better for the health anyway!
Modes: Every now and then the bath-towels need a bit extra. So they get a hot-water, with vinegar, soak, then a pre-wash. Changing those modes would save one of the trips up and down. Soak for an hour or so, then use the phone/watch to switch to pre-wash.
I believe "convenience" is slowly morphing into an excuse for being lazy, which leads to out-of-shape and overweight. And yeah someone will surely jump in with a silly comparable to cars replacing horses. It is NOT comparable. There's a limit to how much effort we can avoid before it negatively impacts our health, an intersection where many of us have arrived.
Now if you are just too frail or sick to do some of these activities fair enough, though I personally know dozens of 80+ folks who still walk, run, dance, mow their own lawns etc to avoid frailty. Much of it we do to ourselves.
I suppose if one lives in a huge house, some of these appliance apps might be useful. Living in a co-op apartment, I find none of them useful and also not worth the security risk or the risk of these companies using my data to their gain. How lazy have we gotten? We're becoming like the fat character in WALL-E. My range already has timers and a temperature probe to automatically turn on or shut off at a given time or temperature. You set the controls on a washing machine/dryer/dishwasher when you put the clothes/dishes in the appliance, so I don't see how any kind of remote operation helps anyone. All this is just jumping on a silly bandwagon, IMO. Are appliances next going to have their own social media posts?
As for the quality of appliances, they all suck. Ever since we lost most American manufacturing combined with the consolidation of the appliance manufacturers, quality has declined immensely. The following may have changed over time, but as of some years ago, Whirlpool also made Kitchen Aid and had absorbed Admiral, Amana, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef and Maytag. They also made Ikea appliances, some Kenmore and a side-by-side refrigerator for Thermador. Frigidaire and Electrolux are now one company and they also produce some cooking appliances for Bosch.
At the time, you could tell who manufactured Kenmore appliances by some of the digits in the serial #:
About a year+ ago, I bought a Samsung range. From a feature standpoint, it's pretty good. But the fit and finish is poor, the knobs are weighted plastic to make you think they're metal, the temperature probe cooking is inaccurate, the clean function doesn't remove grit from the door and the installers couldn't really get it level. No other problems though. I've read about lots of other ranges with electronic controls that fail and once out of warranty, fixing the failure costs $500 a pop.
It's a tough balancing act on what to pay for (to get the time back) and what to do yourself (for the benefits).
Definitely a balancing act, esp with a family.
...and like yoga the benefits of manual labor can go well beyond the physical exertion put into it. But that's me, YMMV.
EDIT: Two articles for thought
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/4-benefits-of-manual-labor/
http://physicalliving.com/gym-training-doesnt-compare-to-the-real-world-lessons-from-10-years-of-manual-labor-and-5-tips-for-breaking-free-of-the-gym-environment/
The only thing that I might find helpful about an app is if it was capable of remote starting of a load that was waiting. Here in California you are supposed to wait until after 6:00 pm to use washing and drying machines. Sometimes we go out in the evenings and it could be handy to be able to start the washer or dryer while out. I suppose I could just set up a wall plug type timer. I'm not buying any fancy new appliances until the ones I have now are unrepairable. Sometimes simpler is better. When we remodeled the kitchen we bought the GE Café line and it is expensive junk. All four appliances needed to be repaired in the first couple months, the microwave several times.