At least regarding the last point: maybe because there was no other option.

If you need specific features or have certain space constraints, you may end up with only two or three devices.

As an example: try to find a TV (not a monitor, a real TV with tuner, etc) without WiFi. Almost impossible.

I'll have a go!

• A: It was the best reviewed washer and dryer on Cordcutter when I needed to replace ours.
• B: Because getting a notification on your phone that your clothes are done is cool, and being able to start a load from your phone from anywhere is cool.
• C: It doesn't need to be connected. As a matter of fact, they stopped connecting to WiFi after about a year, and now they just work like a normal washer and dryer set. I miss the notifications, but not enough to try and figure out how to get them back online.

A: Why would a washing machine have internet access?

They can download customized wash cycles if you're into that sort of thing. They can also communicate through an app to do things like tell you when a load of laundry is finished, when it's time to run it through a self-cleaning cycle, and give specific details when it encounters problems (e.g., mine once notified me the hot water line was giving it cold water). They also allow you to start a cycle remotely, but tend to require enabling that manually via button press for some reason, so that feature's basically useless.