Some washing machines (mine at least) have some "smart" features that adjust the wash time depending on some factors. Nothing more annoying than coming to the laundry after my phone alarm goes off, and seeing the timer on my washing machine go UP(!!!) from 0:01 to 0:02 ...

Eliminating any unneeded manual steps adds reliability. The load done thing goes off when the load is done, you don't forget to start it.

Smart plugs are cheap enough where it doesn't take a lot of convenience to justify it.