Even refrigerators have pop-up ads. Has Yunmi gone astray on the road to smart home?

Nowadays, the concept of interconnection between smart home devices has begun to take root in people's minds. In addition to digital products, traditional home appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines have also taken steps towards intelligence.

However, this seems to bring more than just convenience.

Recently, a netizen reported that a pop-up ad appeared on the Yunmi smart refrigerator he bought, and the customer service told him that the ad could not be turned off, even if he became a member. After the customer expressed serious dissatisfaction, the customer service staff later said that the ad could be turned off and a tutorial would be released later.

However, Yunmi officials later responded to the matter, saying that its refrigerator products have always been able to turn off advertisements with one click, and called the information spread online "false information," which did not appear in the information Yunmi refrigerator products. The company reserves the right to pursue legal responsibility for such "misattribution, slander and defamation."

No matter how the story ends, one thing is clear: Even refrigerators are pushing ads.

Consumers originally bought smart refrigerators because they wanted them to have more functions besides refrigerating food, such as monitoring food conditions, allowing users to read recipes while cooking, and even automatically replenishing food. However, if advertisements are added to these functions, it will only cause consumers to be disgusted.

The original intention of smart homes is to make life more convenient and healthier, but if this means that our daily lives will be inundated with advertisements, I am afraid that more consumers will begin to rethink the necessity and significance of building smart homes.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.