If you recall, the internet of things is about connecting pretty much anything with an on and off switch whether it a car, a vacuum cleaner, a jet engine, or a toaster. The internet of things is clearly an important area for businesses but what about for the average consumer? Companies around the world such as Whirlpool, Samsung, and others are already creating smart appliances which allow anyone to walk into a store and buy a connected device.
Recently this got kicked up a notch as now both Home Depot and Lowe’s have launched their own kits to allow people to create smart homes with smart devices. Home Depot has something called “Wink” and looking at their list of supported products you will find everything from lights and irrigation controllers to locks and air conditioners. Wink was developed by Quirky, an invention company based in NYC. Lowe’s has their own product called Iris which also features a similar array of products that any consumer can purchase and then connect.
The internet of things is only going to get more mainstream from here and in the very near future you can expect to find devices and appliances of this kind at Target, Walgreen’s, Walmart, and pretty much any other major retail chain. As I’ve said many times, “anything that can be connected WILL be connected.” The ease of doing so increases every day until before you know it we will all be using connected devices and living in “smart homes.”
