We need an app to control a stupid lamp but at the same time are expected to buy a "smart home" system so that we don't have to pull the phone out of the pocket. Originally smartwatches were marketed for the same purpose, but I guess now there's also the severe risk of having both hands unavailable at the moment so we need to be able to delay the system update via voice command. Of course with tracking so they can "improve the user experience", and the occasional personalised ad.
Meanwhile I'm wondering how people got convinced this is better than just pressing a physical button, but then I remember even $500+ appliances nowadays are built with such cheap buttons that after a few years I'm forced to learn where to smack the fist on the front cover so they work again for a few minutes.