Is IoT Already Here?

If you think the Internet of Things has already arrived... then think again. I don't see too many traces of it... Truth to be told, we are still in the middle of the smartphone era. Mobile services are booming. Everybody (the term usually means everybody in Silicon Valley) is using Twitter, Uber, and a galaxy of other mobile apps. But go and ask everybody (even everybody in Silicon Valley) what IoT products they use and the most common answer would be... none!

Well some have a Nest thermostat. And some bought a box of Philips Hue lights. Two iconic products we refer to when discussing smart homes. But those who own both, can really be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Then there are the alliances. Z-Wave, ZigBee, Thread, Bluetooth, EnOcean, AllJoyn, IPSO, OIC, with no products on the market. Z-Wave has managed to reach to a handful of smart home enthusiasts, ZigBee is under covers of some industrial products, the rest is still drafting the specs with only simulators available for developers and no real products in people's homes.

With IoT in 2015 we are where the smartphone industry was in 1996, with Nest today equal to where Palm Pilot was back then, having a group of enthusiasts using it (most of that group probably is in Silicon Valley).

Do I sound not excited? Far from that. The fact that most are walking barefoot, does not mean there is no market for shoes. It means the market is huge! Take an average house or apartment. How many of them have computers running them? Embedded computers that monitor energy consumption, control lighting, heating, ventilation, security systems? Not many. Or almost none. And you think there is no need for a computer controlling a house? How many cars had computers in 1980? Not many. Some of you may remember a manual choke lever. How many have computers today? Every single car has one.

The IoT is the opportunity the size of the Pacific. What most of us see today is just the Bay Area (pun intended). It seems big. But in reality it is far bigger, especially when you are ready to spread the sails...