“The internet of things is one of those vacuous labels beloved by the tech industry when it senses that a big new market is taking shape,” Richard Waters reports for The Financial Times. “Like those other current favourites, Big Data and the Cloud, it promises everything and nothing – a tantalising formlessness that hints at infinite possibility, even if it is hard to say exactly who will make money out of it or when.”
“Who better to stamp form on to this void than Apple?” Waters reports. “The company that turned other long-running tech dreams into reality – digital music, smartphones and tablet computing – is about to address itself to the constellations of smart gadgets that could one day mediate the physical world.”
“As the FT reported earlier this week, this will take shape at its annual developer conference on Monday, with ways for owners of its mobile devices to control a range of ‘intelligent’ home gadgets such as thermostats or locks. Apple will also act as the shop front for makers of the proliferating universe of ‘things,'” Water reports. “At the height of its ascendancy under Steve Jobs, the tech world looked to Apple to define nascent markets like these. With his masterful manipulation of expectation and desire, Mr Jobs was unrivalled in his ability to persuade an audience that what he was revealing was a glimpse of the future. Come Monday, it will be up to his heirs to show that they can turn the humdrum objects of ordinary life of tech into something equally dazzling.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Apple patent application shines more light on their home automation controller – May 29, 2014
How Apple could create the smart home for the rest of us – May 28, 2014
Apple readying new software platform for the ‘Smart Home’ to be unveiled at WWDC sources say – May 26, 2014
Wall to wall Apple: How iOS could make its way into your home – March 27, 2014
Apple granted home automation patent featuring intelligent user tracking – November 5, 2013
Analyst: Apple iWatch actually a home automation play, not a smartphone companion – October 10, 2013
humdrum, Tim The Custodian’s credo.
I’d like to control (such) stupidity.
Now that’s a “Killer App.”
I bless everyday we can “Think Different”. After watching the commercial “1984”, I say thank you, Apple employees. We wait with great anticipation and pride.
In the not too distant future your electric utility will be charging different rates at different times of day. When doing a load of laundry cost $5 at 6pm, and 50 cents at 2am you’ll be looking for a smart clothes dryer. Apple will give you the ability to easily program that dryer to run when you want it to. It’ll be a whole new ball game.
Mines been doing that for 20 years, smart gadgetry to exploit it more seamlessly would be useful though the washing machine waking you up for hours on end is no fun.
Industry observers to Apple: no pressure, but we all could use a spot of the old razzle-dazzle, you know, the jack-in-the-box that soils our diapers, the switcheroo that leaves us cross-eyed, the sucker punch that leaves us with a gap-toothed grin and a handful of teeth. Please hurt us with surprise, because we are not getting enough page hits from our recycled rumours and fantasies, and readers are starting to catch on to our cluelessness. We’re only trying to, you know, make a living here. A little help, please. If the pipeline is empty, a scandal would do nicely. Thanks in advance.