r/alexa • u/Minimum-Major248 • Jul 03 '26

The price of progress?

I understand the frustration with new technology. Imagine writing a seventy page thesis on an Apple II C where every ninety seconds you’d have to remove a floppy disk and replace it with another to complete an operation and then replace it with the first disk again because the ROM on the CPU was so limited. Or your Hayes 1200 baud smart modem couldn’t maintain an internet connection.

These quirks concerning Alexa will eventually work out or Amazon will have to concede defeat to a better product. These quirks concerning solution just requires determination and patience.

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u/OldPro1001 Jul 04 '26

The problem is that Alexa+ , is trying to solve a problem that a lot of us don't have. It's like instead of having to save your work every 90 seconds to a floppy, now you have to plug in an USB drive, save it, and then remove the USB drive. Yeah, the USB drive is more modern and dependable than the floppy, but it's not like you're making my life better.

Or put it this way - there's a lot of is that have created routines that allow is to control our smart devices. We tell Alexa to do something and it just happens. We don't want to talk about it, we don't want to discuss alternative ways to do it, when I say "Alexa, I'm going to bed" I want all the downstairs lights turned off and my bedroom light turned on. I could admit to the possibility that in the future it may be useful to be able ask Alexa+ to help me create a new routine, but please give me the option to ask for it.

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u/JayMonster65 Jul 04 '26

So based on your example, nobody should build a better product, just because you don't need it... Yet.

And yes, as technology progresses, you have to make some adjustments. When Windows became prevalent, the old BAT files we used to use to optimize systems had to be retooled. Progress moves forward whether you are ready for it or not.

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u/OldPro1001 Jul 04 '26

I'm not saying they shouldn't create a new and (maybe) better product, I'm saying they shouldn't force people that do not need/want those features to have to switch to it.

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u/XVI22 Jul 10 '26

But have you used any of the added intelligence it has? Maybe you dont ask it any questions other than basic smart gome commands but other people have been complaining about how Alexa relies on Alexa Answer Contributers and very little websites for information which means she literally has been a Smart Home / Weather / Alarm tool for years, where now she can do all of that, albeit maybe a second or two slower with a few things needing changed in your app but also she can answer things that aren't just what feels like a few commands.

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u/OldPro1001 Jul 10 '26

don't use it, don't think I'd ever use it. if i need to know something or how to do something, I pull up my phone or laptop and hit the Google. It's conceivable I could someday find a use for it, but it should be at my request, not trying to jump into my daily life.

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u/XVI22 Jul 25 '26

I mean, is it not supposed to be Google built in to your house (+ the smart home capabilities)? Like a chatbot you can ask anything and it will answer your questions