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1/ Today I have a wonderful story about #digitaltransformation, #iot or, if you like non-sensical terms and you are very confused, #edgecomputing.

In 17 days, my brand new @BoschGlobal dishwasher got stuck and required a hard reset (electric panel switch off/on) *three* times.

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2/ I told myself “OK. It’s wifi-enabled. I never set up the feature. Maybe I can and there’s some firmware update to download.” Complaining about this in 2023 is like complaining about the iPhone must update iOS version compared to a Nokia dumbphone. So, fine.

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3/ Doing that requires downloading an iOS app called Home Connect from a website that is NOT @BoschGlobal, which bounces you to another website, which forces you to register to use the feature. All of this in a web frame. In 2023. A web frame.

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4/ The 2nd website is supposed to send you a security code via email. But it didn’t like my email. So, after 5 attempts (10min) & changing the email address, I finally get to register.

The app asks me to (1) activate internal analytics and (2) to not click “Ask App not to Track”

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5/ Finally, I get into the app. I am asked to activate Bluetooth on the dishwasher so that the app can discover it. Of course, it doesn’t discover it at all.
It searches for 5 minutes and then it gives up.

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6/ Then it asks me to scan the QR code in the instruction manual. Fine. But the QR code sends me back to the Bluetooth discovery process, where I get stuck for another 5 minutes. https://t.co/1hbsib4Zop

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7/ In the end, there is no way to enable the feature, access remotely the dishwasher, and attempt a firmware update (assuming that’s the problem).

So, @BoschGlobal: who is the PM that shipped this? Where is the VP in charge of the business unit? The QA engineers who reviewed it?

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8/ To everybody else reading: THESE are the real stories of #digitaltransformation, buried under the corporate presentations, the customer case studies brochures, and the press announcements.

Do not believe anything you read from tech vendors or their clients in joint presos.

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9/ Two final things, @BoschGlobal:

a. Let me know the address where I can send an invoice for 30min of my time
b. You unfortunately join the “German excellence” bucket together with @Miele_Press:
https://t.co/FVE87wOTM8