I think it is marketing gone amok. In the world of the consumer an appliance is a single task item. Either it cools food, it freezes food, it cooks food, or it makes toast, etc. Now there are multi-function appliances such as stereos, calculators and the like but I think they are an insignificant entity of what IT thinks of when we say "appliance". As long as you are paying for support anyway, might as well get the system you need and pay for remote DBA work. At least then when your needs shift you don't have to buy a new "appliance".