The smart home graveyard is getting crowded

<figure> <img alt="June connected oven." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/akrales_190131_3100_0022.webp?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>This is </em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/the-stepback-newsletter" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theverge.com/the-stepback-newsletter">The Stepback</a><em>, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the fragile state of your connected devices, follow <a href="https://www.theverge.com/authors/jennifer-tuohy" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theverge.com/authors/jennifer-tuohy">Jennifer Pattison Tuohy</a>. </em>The Stepback<em> arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for </em>The Stepback<em> <em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/newsletters">here</a></em>. </em></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How it started</h2> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A decade ago, a group of former Apple engineers built a beautiful smart oven. With a built-in scale, restaurant-grade heating elements, a camera, and the intelligence to recognize a chicken breast and cook it perfectly, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/9/8751947/june-oven-identify-your-food">the June Oven</a> set the standard for smart cooking appliances. At $1,495, it was absurdly expensive, but it quickly grew a smal …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/1000778/smart-home-june-oven-graveyard">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>