Earlier quoted context omitted.
The "Smart" in the post you replied to stands for something else than your examples (which are absolutely valid uses cases!). We could summarize it as "needlessly Internet connected, reporting to some endpoint in the cloud outside of your control, which is now a point of failure". Indeed my dishwasher is likely more reliable, and my fridge can get more efficient with a microcontroller. But the 2017 version is likely…
I should have quoted the portion I was responding to. I was responding to "I have yet to hear any compelling reason to make these devices dependent on software."
Yes, you have possibly valid use cases. I should have clarified that my objection is to Internet connectivity specifically, although I am not yet persuaded that a 1% efficiency gain for my refrigerator or other appliance (regardless of connectivity) justifies the additional expense and complexity of using a microprocessor.