So, looking around for a well big opening that isn't yet being served? Look no supplementary than the High Tech house.
Yes, I know, all the big computer and consumer electronics fellowships are investing billions in the shop for pumping entertainment article via fat pipes into and throughout the home. And no doubt, this is becoming a very large shop that will ultimately be huge. But that's not what I'm talking about. I believe that there is an even larger, but more mundane opening for software, semiconductor and electronics fellowships that has been largely ignored.
This new idea has been alluded to and talked about in theoretical, general terms by futurist speakers at trade shows and Tv sound bites for many years. So in that sense it's not well new. But limited has been done in terms of actual speculation in fellowships and stock improvement to strike this potentially titanic market. So what exactly am I talking about? Do you remember some years back all of the snickering about the Internet Toaster?
Let's call this the Internet Refrigerator market.
What's so compelling about this inherent new shop segment vs. The home entertainment opening that nearly every monster high tech company is already chasing? Well, of course, the first tantalizing thing is that not everyone is chasing it yet! As far as I can tell, very few are. The second thing that pops up when inspecting this inherent shop is that there should be an tantalizing payback ready to the customer. That's something the entertainment space will never be able to say--it's sexy, fun and high profile--but it's looking to take a share of the already stretched consumer wallet for discretionary purchases. Thirdly, all of the technology necessary is already in existence. In the most modern study on broadband penetration this year, Nielson/Netratings found that 56% of Us homes related to the Internet are now using a broadband connection. Worldwide, practically two thirds of all Internet connects are broadband. The broadband world has arrived, and it's time to start utilizing it for something other than simply surfing the World Wide Web. And finally, this idea should yield titanic advantage the Us and world economies by driving costs out of some of the most labor intensive, inefficient tasks in modern western society. Yes, I said titanic economic benefits. tantalizing yet? Read on!
I'm proposing that all of the major systems and appliances in our high tech homes be Internet-enabled and related to our home network. Let's look at the benefits of this idea using an example of our Internet Refrigerator.
The Problem
This example is an amalgamation of similar experiences I've had many times since reaching adulthood. You're employed full time at a job that you drive to 15-45 minutes away from your house. If you're married, your spouse also is likely similarly employed these days. A major appliance such as your refrigerator breaks down--and of procedure it's outside of the warranty duration (they plan it that way!). You whether call the store you originally purchased the appliance from, or if you're the economical type, shop around for a lower cost independent assistance provider. What happens next? Mostly frustration, if my taste is typical.
First off, no one can make it out on a assistance call for three days (there's a reckon for this--these are highly inefficient businesses). You still don't even know what's wrong with your Fridge, and by the way--the food is beginning to rot. In addition to having to wait three days, no one will give you an actual specific "appointment" these days. Most often they give you the dreaded "4 hour window" appointment. Oh, and by the way, there is a minimum charge of just to come to your house. No guarantees, no refunds even if they can't fix it. But what can you do? You swallow hard, eat out for the next 3 days (at added price to your funds and waistline) and wait for your appointment.
The day of the appointment ultimately comes and you head home for your 4-hour window, much to your boss's consternation. Four hours come and go, and of procedure no one shows up. You call the assistance company, and as usual, "they're running late". (This happens because these inefficient assistance fellowships are in such request that don't need to have a buyer orientation, and use very limited technology to optimize their business). So you wait an supplementary hour for them to get there, and then other hour to diagnose the problem. Pretty much a whole day of work productivity shot--I hope that you weren't getting paid by the hour! But it gets even better. Upon diagnosing the problem, the repairman says "It's 0 for the part and 0 for the labor. Unfortunately I don't have the part ready in the truck--I'll have to order it." Great! Now you're scheduling other appointment with a 4-hour window--you get the drill at this point. It's pretty ugly. In this modern world, there's got to be a way. And I believe that there is.
The Solution
What if that refrigerator was instrumented and outfitted with a cheap microcontroller, embedded web server software and Ethernet or Wi-Fi Port? Well, especially with all of the broadband households now online, you could make major changes to this productivity-sapping assistance fire drill.
The first thing you would do under this new scenario is to call up your beloved assistance victualer and construe the problem. After granting them way to the Refrigerator's Ip address using the "Home Network Console" software on your Pc, the assistance victualer would run a diagnostic software program on your Fridge. With luck they could diagnose the question right then and there. Maybe all that's required is a minor tweaking of the appliance setting that can be done remotely or by you, and only a small assistance charge is due. Even if it's a failed part, the assistance victualer could check their parts list immediately and order the part if it's out of stock. Only when the part is ready would a assistance truck be dispatched for a quick installation.
Think of how much assistance technician time would be saved. Or how much gas saved, fewer trucks on the road, not to mention the productivity regained by the hapless buyer waiting at home. The assistance providers would become much more efficient, allowing them to supply good service, at lower prices, using less techs. Customers would be thrilled and have added productivity in their own jobs. And I believe that the first Appliance manufacturers offering this quality would have a huge advantage and an opening to fast gain shop share while enhancing their brand as "cutting edge". This opening applies to just about every capital purchase in the home: Refrigerators, Washers & Dryers, Home Entertainment, Furnaces, Air Conditioners, Stoves, Dishwashers, etc.
Some of you may think this sounds great but it's too futuristic and not realistic. Yet as I mentioned above, all of the necessary technology exists today. When you think about it, this idea is well just an extension of the software being installed in most modern computers which allows operate and question pathology remotely by an It professional. And the campaign for acceptance of this idea could piggyback the huge speculation by fellowships pushing entertainment and communications products/services over broadband pipes, which is already in process.
Who and When?
So why hasn't this happened yet? Why is this being ignored, while everyone dukes it out over home entertainment? It's hard to say because it could well be the proverbial "Next Big Thing.". But again, it's not very sexy. And the Appliance manufacturers are not technology-driven companies, and as a ensue don't' innovate or adopt new technology very quickly. But this is going to happen, it's just too big. It is only a request of when. So what's it going to take? Maybe it will be a smaller appliance maker who needs an edge to compete, and is nimble and more willing to innovate and take risks. Or it might maybe occur when a network/systems administration software company looking for a way to grow, decides to increase their core competency from B2B to B2C by approaching appliance manufacturers with market-ready software. Or an embedded software or silicon company that sees the opening to increase their microcontroller or embedded web server from the market world to the titanic consumer market.
When will it happen? I don't know. I staggering it to be well underway by now. But sometimes, big ideas are slow to catch on. With this one, I'm convinced it's just a matter of time. Will your company be the one to capitalize?
The High Tech House