Debaleena Chattopadhyay

This past Christmas, I helped my parents choose a water filter. The latest “smart” models all came with a smartphone app that promised to monitor filter life, track water quality and automatically request service. Yet my father, age 75, and mother, 67, were quick to reject them in favor of a nondigital model. “Every time it updates or I forget how to use it, we’ll have to call you,” my dad said.