My beloved spouse likes coffee, but with a minimum of effort and steps that even a 4yo could follow. For this reason, the goal is to make a cup of coffee as quickly as possible sans thought because my spouse is pretty useless first thing in the morning. A pod coffeemaker works: insert pod, press the button, mwuh-mwuh-mwuh, and behold, "good-enough" coffee is ready!
But what if we live off the grid on a Montana homestead, or in a tent while camping, or on a cattle drive? With this device, we may be on to something! In my experience playing with the SmartShot, a decent shot can be produced with some workflow changes that can be executed while bleary-eyed in a living environment that's 10C (50F).
First, although the SmartShot's marketing material says otherwise, you still want to dial in the coffee's grind size for optimal flavor. Sure, you can use whatever grind you find on the market shelf, but you're relegated to whatever flavor that yields. Although dialing-in takes experimentation, once it's locked in, you can grind out a half kilo ahead of time and store it in an airtight container. Just scoop, press, and enjoy!
Second, during coffee preparation, you really wanna soak the portafilter in boiling hot water, otherwise the cold steel and ambient temp will suck the heat (and flavor) out of your beverage as it is pressed and extracted. But I have heard, to do that extra step diminishes the simplicity of the SmartShot as compared to a pod-making device. Yet, if you're off the grid...
Between those two updates in the workflow, I think the SmartShot will yield a decent extraction. It's very well engineered and simple to use. But if my spouse is unable to figure it out without some training, that stove-top drip coffee-maker seems to suffice. "That's okay, honey, I'll make some for myself later."