Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2018. Read them in this 10th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Zach Supalla, founder and CEO, Particle
Front-page flops and silent successes: What to Expect from IoT in 2018
Trying to predict the future of IoT (even the very near
future) is typically an exercise in futility. As a still nascent and ill-defined
industry, disruption and tumult seem to be the only constants you can really count
on. Nonetheless, I'm going to try my hand at divining the future of IoT.
Despite all the uncertainty within our industry, I'm fairly confident that the
following three things will be true in 2018:
1.) High-profile failures will negatively impact public
perception of IoT and cast a wide shadow of doubt on the industry.
2.) Legitimate IoT companies will continue to (quietly)
bring real, transformative value to businesses and society at large.
3.) As a result of this disconnect, the gulf between the
public perception of IoT and the reality of IoT will widen.
Many of the high-profile, "groundbreaking" IoT businesses of
the past 5 to 10 years have suffered sub-par performances, or all out failure.
The Pebble smart watch, the infamous Juicero, and many more, have all shown
that the IoT industry is susceptible to ill-conceived ideas and misplaced
enthusiasm. Nonetheless, the overall excitement around IoT (particularly among
investors) has persisted. But, in 2018, I foresee that enthusiasm finally wavering.
The consumer-focused race to create
anything "IoT" has resulted in a litany
of poorly-conceived, insecure, and often downright ridiculous products. As a
result, failures have been abundant in our field.
Smart egg-trays complete with mobile app to ensure you
always know exactly how many eggs are in your fridge...in case you have a medical
condition that necessitates emergency omelets.
The Juicero "smart juicer" stands out amongst these products
due to the firestorm of ridicule, and even outright rage, it's received on the
internet. With its $700 price tag (now $399), and its inability to actually turn fruit into juice, the product
has become symbol for all that is wrong with IoT.
Even headline-grabbing success stories, such as Nest,
haven't been entirely successful. Although they are generating revenues, they
have yet to meet sales expectations and continue to underperform. And
celebrity-level IoT-initiatives, like IBM's Watson, are now taking heavy
blows in the media as well.
What is "shame", Alex?
It appears that IoT is approaching the downswing of its
voyage along the "tech hype cycle". And soon the investment community will take
note.
At the same time, however, a different type of IoT will
continue to thrive and grow in relative silence. IoT's application in sectors
such as manufacturing, transportation, and supply-chain management is quickly
becoming ubiquitous. Businesses in these fields are already reaping massive
business value in the form of increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and
heightened visibility. And I'm confident that in 2018 we'll see even more
industries join the growing list of "behind-the-scenes" IoT adopters.
Unfortunately, these applications aren't exactly glamorous. So,
while the public awaits toasters that know exactly
how toasty they like their toast, IoT is already changing the world in
dramatic ways.
Opti, for example, is
using IoT to make stormwater infrastructure more intelligent. Their devices
actively and proactively coordinate the opening of sewage valves to minimize
flooding, runoff, and environmental damage. Small, connected devices constantly
monitor weather reports and current drainage conditions to determine which
valves should be opened and closed. When heavy rainfall is imminent, the
devices will automatically start to drain
retention ponds and manage other valves, depending upon the expected location
and volume of the rainfall. In this way, these smart stormwater systems are
able to preempt, and largely prevent, the damage typically occasioned by heavy
rains.
An Opti retention pond
installation in Philadelphia
So, as devastating storms and historic floods dominate
national headlines, companies like Opti are behind the scenes, quietly using
IoT to actually do
something about it.
It might take a while for the general public to recognize
this different face of IoT. But I have a feeling it will happen long before
those perfect toasters hit the market.
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About the Author
Zach is the founder and CEO of
Particle, an IoT startup that's making it easier to build, connect and manage
internet-connected hardware on an enterprise scale.
Zach launched Particle on Kickstarter in 2013 with the vision of
making the Internet of Things easy and accessible. Particle has grown to have
the largest developer community in the Internet of Things with over 125,000
engineers. Particle devices are used at 50% of the Fortune 500 and ship to more
than 100 countries. Particle has been featured in WSJ, Forbes, Wired, Engadget,
Fast Company, TechCrunch, the Discovery Channel, and many other publications.
Zach has spoken as an authority on Agile Hardware and the Internet of Things at
prominent events such as OSCon, GMIC, and Launch.
Zach earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and an
MEM (masters in engineering management) from the McCormick School of
Engineering at Northwestern. Before Particle, Zach worked as a management
consultant with McKinsey & Company, advising Fortune 500 companies on
strategy, operations, and product development. He is a graduate of HAX, the
world's first and most prolific hardware accelerator.