Connected devices drive the revolution
IT’S a traditional refrain for veteran techie types who visit the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to be “disappointed” because they saw “nothing revolutionary”.
It usually means they weren’t paying attention: the thousands of new product launches signify an ongoing revolution that continually accelerates the pace at which cutting-edge technology goes mainstream.
This year, it would have been even harder to avoid the revolution. When the show ended on Friday, every one of at least a dozen categories of technology, in particular health and fitness, automotive, smart homes, and TV display, could have claimed a significant leap forward.
One overarching theme encapsulated the evolution and revolution that consumer technology is experiencing. The Internet of Things, a buzz phrase that describes the universe of devices connected to one another and to the internet, coalesced into a solid steamroller of trends, ideas and products.
“It’s all about the opportunity to connect everyday items such as cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices such as PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our ... lives,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of the show.
The CEOs of the world’s biggest manufacturers of cars, computer chips and smartphones were all on hand to endorse the revolution.
Boo-Keun Yoon, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics, set the tone in the pre-show keynote address, arguing that it was “the most important topic for our industry right now”. He revealed the company had committed more than $100-million (R1.17-billion) this year to supporting new Internet of Things applications in the developer community. The technology, he said, would “unlock infinite possibilities”.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich used his keynote address to punt the company’s Internet of Things catchphrase, “Computing unleashed”. This year would be an important turning point for the way new technologies change the way people interact with devices, he said. “Computers are gaining senses. They are going to be able to see and hear. And that will result in their ability to understand.”
Providing one of the early “gee-whiz” moments, Krzanich revealed that Intel had produced a successor to last year’s postage stamp-sized Edison computer, namely the Curie: a computer the size of a button. In fact, it had been hiding in plain sight as a button on his jacket.
Curie includes a processor, Bluetooth LE radio, sensors and battery charging technology. It is expected to be available later this year.
“Curie is really meant to be a platform,” he said. “With this product, [partners] can deliver wearables in a range of form factors — rings, bags, bracelets, pendants, and, yes, the buttons on our jackets.”
Ahn Seung-kwon, chief technology officer of LG Electronics, explained that the Internet of Things “is what connects everything we value and it goes beyond our homes. Its true value lies in the innovation that is centred on our lives.”
That, again, is another way of saying there is no limit to the role of the Internet of Things, which means, in turn, no limit to its potential for sales of new devices.
No fewer than 900 exhibitors included themselves in the Internet of Things category, which means there will be no end of fruitless marketing campaigns selling the concept for its own sake rather than the functions people need and use.
Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter @art2gee and on YouTube
The Internet of Things coalesced into a steamroller of trends and ideas