Again. Horrible design of requiring unnecessary connections to a host.<p>And for what gain? Perhaps I'm too dumb to understand what massive profits they''ll gain by surveillance of my robot vacuum, but if they can't survive without it, they shouldn't be in business.<p>Product managers, it really isn't that difficult:<p>* Make a server available for OTA updates with fixes and new features? Great!<p>* Require a connection just to run the device you are running? You are selling a plague, and I'll avoid it like one.<p>* Even where a connection could be genuinely useful for some features of your device, design around it, make the thing independent, and make the connection an <i>OPTION</i>, maybe even an upsell opportunity.<p>IDK if it is the product managers, MBAs, or investors driving this, but the model of rent-seeking instead of providing real value is pernicious and evil.<p></rant>
Related to Xiaomi services being down: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29747453" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29747453</a>