zlacker

Smart TVs became the norm when they reached the same price point as normal TVs. That's when the ad bullshit came up. You can still buy smart TVs without ads though, going for Android TV and put it in "basic TV mode" will disable pretty much all the crapware. You won't be able to use the TV to watch Netflix or HBO without a third party streaming dongle, though, which is probably why nobody does it.

The smart part of a fridge isn't inherent to the technology necessary (unlike DRM'ed TV streams and apps). In fact, bolting the display (or ice maker for that matter) into the door makes it conduct more heat and therefore perform worse. I don't know about other economic regions, but here the energy label is quite clearly visible on the front of every fridge, so they can't hide the power waste either.

I have yet to see a smart fridge cheaper than a similar normal fridge. Partially because manufacturers seem to market this crap like a luxury feature.

The cheapest smart fridge I can find on a reliable web store, at least here, is three times the price of a normal fridge (€1500 vs €500). Even in the huge "American style" fridges, there's a sizable price difference (€1500 vs €1000) before you get to the first smart fridge.