Sometimes simpler is better - his old unit was most likely entirely mechanical and involved an analog thermostat or thermistor and a single button. The new one? has a control panel and a microcontroller/processor.

Things like this are why I got the simplest, most mechanical washer and dryer set that Lowes offered when I moved nine years ago. I didn't want touchscreens or LCDs; I didn't want to have to reboot my W/D if something went wrong. Not a single problem in those nine years, and if something does break, it's going to be a simple mechanical part that's easy to fix.