Over more than 10 years, in every consumer appliance exhibition, I have seen a self-computing or networking refrigerator with information window of LCD screen on the door. At the first time I saw this, it was pretty cool but wonder my mom or my wife gladly likes to pay more money for this LCD screen on pumpkin icebox. See beside photo, LG R-S73CT refrigerator in 2001. 730 liter, 15.1 inch full color TFT-LCD with touch screen, internet enabled. Reportedly LG had invested 55 developers and 15 million dollars to develop this refrigerator for 3 years and earned 75 patents.
LG's brand new smart refrigerator in 2011 CES.
Information LCD screenshot
Fundamentally there is no differentiation between 2001 model and present model except for easy implementing technically and extending its connectivity to smartphone. Persistently the maker have been asking us for watching for over 10 years how they would be smart regardless it is necessary or not. It was unaffordable and useless at 10 years ago, and now the smart Apps on tablet could do that if needed. The problem before being smart refrigerator we should realize how long barely people stand in front of refrigerator to read every threw information. If assumed that people really wants to know everything before opening refrigerator, the refrigerator sends every information to the tablet or kitchen monitor (may be a brand new appliance, but more efficient for monitoring every appliance in kitchen). More significantly who is the master of our refrigerator? Imagine this, what happens if whole family know everything in their refrigerator now? How much old food we have, how many bottles, zipper bags...will you roll your sleeves up? Sometimes it's better we don't know its mess.
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