I have a Zymatic and it is a lot of fun but, after dozens of batches I can attest I really feel I make better beer on my old 12 gallon homebrew system. I can't understand the sense in "pico paks" unless you are just very rich and don't know what to do with your money.
Keurig is just pure idiocy IMO. My mom bought me one years ago and after I used the initial pods I strictly used it for hot water until it died. OTOH I actually like to drink GOOD coffee so there's that.
We had Keurigs at a former job and after a while it struck me how wasteful they are. We live in such a "disposable" society and most people don't even notice it... You can recycle the cups but you have to do a lot of work to remove the filter and grounds before you can. Plus, making real coffee is not hard...
To me, and this is just my personal opinion, the automatic systems like the Zymatic and Pico to me feel more like a coffee maker and less like brewing. I enjoy being more involved in the process, but to each their own. I am intrigued by the thought of making it easier for me in my tiny kitchen, but I think the furthest I would automate would be a grainfather to help with mashing. As it stands now, I don't do all grain and I don't mash.
I understand the sentiment, but in the end it's all about what you enjoy with the hobby. For me, it's tinkering with new ideas and recipe design. If I was sure I was going to get similar quality results compared to my current setup, then the Zymatic would be perfect for me (the Pico, not so much). I enjoy the brewing process, but I don't have the time to brew as often as I'd like. Something like the Zymatic would let me control recipe design, but free me up during the actual brewing process.
I'm the same way with Keurig. Sure, I prefer good coffee, but a Keurig is quick and keeps me out of the drive-thru in the morning. I only drink one cup a day, so the portion is just right, too. Thankfully, I've discovered that cold brew is just as quick and lets me drink better coffee. I'm seriously considering turning one of my kegerator taps to a nitro coffee tap.