The Internet of Things will connect the world as never before — with all internet-ready devices and the supporting infrastructure — and the tech is burning up the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show. But given that this is the Consumer Electronics Show, I’m forced to ponder whether IoT is too low-concept for the average Joe.
Read: CES 2015 will be the Internet of Things’ coming-out party
Most ECN readers have a decent grasp of IoT and its potential — particularly in the industrial space — but the tech is a much harder sell to consumers than 2015’s other buzzwords, such as 4K.
LG opened its press conference with a comprehensive introduction to IoT and its consumer applications, Panasonic sold its vision of the smart home, with smart energy powering smart white goods and Wi-Fi-connected; and Samsung pushed its comprehensive suite of IoT devices and technology.
The South Korean tech giant claimed that 32% of customers want smart home tech, but only 2% have it. Samsung also believes that all TVs will eventually be smarts TVs (just as color TV is the norm), and by 2017, 90% of all Samsung products will be IoT devices.
I see a disconnect between ambitious soothsaying from tech conglomerates and the consumer end of the bargain. 4K is a comparatively easy sell (i.e. buy the newest 4K TV), but IoT is selling a concept — a low-concept — rather than a specific product, and it’s harder to buy into a concept than a visibly improved product.
Consumers need a firm grasp of IoT’s specific applications and the most consumer-friendly iterations of the tech before they can fully commit — this could explain Samsung’s curious statistic. Consumers are excited about IoT, but don’t fully understand it or know how to buy it (hence the microscopic 2% ownership).
Filed Under: M2M (machine to machine)
