Multi-function rooms garner need for single-use appliances. Countries where you have lots of population density and very little space for a kitchen, these kinds of appliances allow for cooking real meals with limited space and no permanent major appliances. When you already have a massive appliance, like a 4-6 burner stove top, it's counter productive adding a small electric appliance to cook rice. Yes, they may work well...but so does a pot and a heat source. I just posted a rice thread stating I never did well cooking enriched white rice. Basmati is an awesome rice and cooks VERY easily. Brown rice does well, but takes a very long time to soften.
I've actually seem Chinese restaurants use rice cookers on their buffet to provide fresh, cooked white rice easily to customers. Some cookers are very good and have the perfect temp settings to nail it every time. It's just not necessary if you make rice often. My issue is that I never did well with enriched white rice, so I didn't make it often enough to nail the process. With Basmati, I've never messed it up.