Maintenance

Longer term hardware reliability in consumer and prosumer devices is still very challenging. This will drive people away from technology, as after several years dozens of their "smart" gadgets will start malfunctioning and falling apart. To me, when something fails, it is the most annoying moment, especially considering the busy schedule I have.

Today, for example. it was two extra hours to rip the internet router apart and replace 5 dry electrolytic capacitors. Drying capacitors are probably responsible for 80% of home electronic products just dying all of a sudden. Software is usually unstable at the beginning of a lifecycle. Then it gets better and over time many software - powered devices we start considering like pure hardware - they just work. Until they stop, usually without warning.

What is absolutely surprising, many of them being "connected" devices never monitor their own health and never indicate any problems until they happen. It could be as simple as monitoring how often a device reboots (a sign of a dying power supply) and telling whoever should know to prepare for a maintenance.

The exciting thing is this is just about to change. Soon even simple objects like lamps will be connected and will be reporting their health. Maintenance becomes really a joy if it can be done proactively, based on predicted failures before they happen. If you have time to prepare, and know what to expect, even when there is a failure, it all becomes so much less frustrating.