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The "internet of things" has been slow coming. . .
Jean-Louis Gassee writes in Monday Note (November 24) about the sensible reasons for the delayed arrival of the "internet of things," despite (because of?) substantial hype. The reasons include
- It's invisible infrastructure, largely. There are relatively modest manifest, personal benefits in many use cases.
- Consumer concerns about licensing. ("Will [my toaster] stop toasting if I don't renew my subscription?"]
- Security and privacy concerns.
The Internet of Things: Look, It Must Work
For twenty-five years, we’ve been promised a thoroughly connected world in which our “things” become smarter, safer and save energy. But progress doesn’t seem to match the glowing predictions.
The presentation is straightforward and enticing:
Picture this: A 25¢ smart chip inside a light-bulb socket. Networked through the 110V wires, it provides centralized on-off control and monitors the bulb’s “health” by constantly measuring electrical resistance. Imagine the benefits in a large office, with thousands, or even tens of thousands of fixtures. Energy is saved as lighting is now under central, constantly adaptable control. Maintenance is easier, pinpointed, less expensive: Bulbs are changed at precisely the right time, just before the filament burns out.
Now, add this magic chip to any and all appliances and visualize the enormity of the economic and ease-of-use benefits. This is no dream. . . we’re already working on agreements in energy-conscious Scandinavia.When did this take place?
There is a one-word giveaway to this otherwise timeless pitch: filament. Incandescent lights have been regulated out of existence, replaced first by CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps — expensive and not so pleasant) and then by LEDs (still expensive, but much nicer).
The pitch, reproduced with a bit of license, took place in 1986. It’s from the business plan of a company called Echelon, the brainchild of Mike Markkula, Apple’s original angel investor and second CEO.
The idea seemed obvious, inevitable: The relentless physics of Moore’s Law would make chips smaller, more powerful, and less expensive. Connected to a central household brain, these chips would control everything from lightbulbs and door locks to furnaces and stoves. Our lives would be safer and easier. . . and we’d all conserve energy.
The idea expresses itself in variations of the core Home Automation concept, the breadth of which you can visualize by googling “home automation images”:
;)
Continues at link.
williamgarrity
