Just one quibble:

The only reason to make a dishwasher that refuses a rival's dishes is if the manufacturer's own dishes are ugly, expensive, and/or badly made

No, greed is reason enough. If they think they can get away with it, they would do that whether the dishes are good or bad, just to maximize how much money they can squeeze out of their customers.

There has too been talk about Google using it to block desktop OSs like Linux. By requiring validation against a QR you have to scan from an Android or iOS phone.

https://reddthat.com/post/69062683

I swear I saw that URL 5 times before realizing it probably doesn't belong to Redhat.

Even with your comment it took me three lol

This smells of two odors: 1) Retaliation against the GrapheneOS deal with Lenovo/Moto Mobility and 2) Getting desktop users rounded up into the Google ecosystem before the launch of AluminumOS.

AluminumOS

Thanks, I did not even know about that.

Do. Not. Want.