The hi-tech House

So, looking around for a really big opportunity that isn’t yet being served? Look no further than the High technology house. Yes, I know, all the big computer and consumer electronics companies are investing billions in the market for pumping entertainment content via fat pipes into and throughout your house. And no doubt, this is becoming a very large market that may ultimately be huge. But that’s not what I’m talking regarding. I believe that there is an even larger, but additional mundane opportunity for software, semiconductor and electronics companies that has become largely ignored. This new concept has been alluded to and spoke of in theoretical, general terms by futurist speakers at trade shows and TV sound bites for quit some time. So in that sense it’s not really new. But little has been done regarding actual investment in companies and product development to attack the following potentially enormous market. So what exactly am I talking with regards to? Do you remember several years back all of the snickering regarding the Internet Toaster? Let’s call this the Internet Refrigerator market. What’s so compelling about it potential new market segment vs. the home entertainment opportunity that just about any monster high tech company is already chasing? Well, of lessons, the first attractive thing is that not everyone is going after it yet! As far as I can tell, very few are. The second thing that pops up when considering this potential market usually there should be an attractive payback available to the purchaser. That’s something the entertainment space will never be able to help say–it’s sexy, fun and high profile–but it’s looking to please take a share of the already stretched consumer wallet for discretionary purchases. Thirdly, all of the technology necessary is already in presence. In the most recent study on broadband penetration this year, Nielson/Netratings found that 56% of US homes connected to the world wide web are now using a broadband connection. Worldwide, almost 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 virtual reality. And finally, this concept should yield substantial benefit the US and world economies by driving costs out of most of the most labor intensive, inefficient tasks in modern western society. certainly, I said substantial economic benefits. Curious yet? Read on! air condition remote control I’m proposing that the many major systems and appliances in our high tech homes be Internet-enabled and linked to our home network. Let’s look at the benefits of this concept using one among our Internet Refrigerator. The Problem This example is an amalgamation of similar experiences I’ve had oftentimes since reaching adulthood. You’re employed full time at a job you drive to 15-45 minutes away from your house. If you’re married, your spouse also is likely similarly employed these a short time. A major appliance such as your refrigerator breaks down–and obviously it’s outside of the warranty period (they plan it that way! ). You either call the store you originally purchased the appliance from, or if you’re the thrifty type, shop around to get a lower cost independent service provider. What happens next? Mostly frustration, if my experience is typical. First off, no one tend to make it out on a service call for three days (there’s a reason for this–these are highly inefficient businesses). You still don’t even know what’s wrong with all your Fridge, and by the way–the food is starting to go rotten. In addition to having to wait three days, no one provide you with an actual specific appointment these days. Most often they provide you with the dreaded 4 hour window appointment. Oh, and by began seeing, there is a minimum charge of $65 just to go 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 expense to your budget and waistline) and watch for your appointment. laundry leather cup The day of the appointment finally comes and you head home for your 4-hour window, much to your boss’s consternation. 4 hours come and go, and of course no one occurs. You call the service company, and as usual, they’re jogging late. (This happens because these inefficient service companies are in such demand that have no need to have a customer orientation, and utilize very little technology to be able to optimize their business). So you wait an additional hour for them to receive there, and then another hour to diagnose the problem. virtually a whole day of work productivity shot–I hope that you weren’t getting paid through the hour! But it gets even better. Upon diagnosing the dilemma, the repairman says It’s $200 for the part and $150 for the labor. Unfortunately I don’t have the part available in the truck–I’ll have to order it. Great! Now you’re scheduling another appointment with a 4-hour window–you get the drill in this article. It’s pretty ugly. In this modern world, there’s got becoming a way. And I believe that there is. The Solution what happens if that refrigerator was instrumented and outfitted with a cheap microcontroller, embedded world wide web server software and Ethernet or WI-FI Port? Well, especially with the many broadband households now online, you could make major changes to this productivity-sapping service fire drill. The first thing you would do under this new scenario could be to call up your preferred service provider and explain the problem. After granting them access to the Refrigerator’s IP address using the Home Network Console software on your hard disk, the service provider would run a diagnostic software program in your Fridge. With luck they could diagnose the problem right then and there. Maybe all that’s required is a minor tweaking of the appliance setting that you can do remotely or by you, and only a small service cost is due. Even if it’s a failed part, the company could check their parts inventory immediately and order the part if it’s beyond stock. Only when the part is available would a service truck be dispatched to get a quick installation. Think of how much service technician time could well be saved. Or how much gas saved, fewer trucks on the road, not to mention the productivity regained by the hapless customer waiting at your house. The service providers would become much more efficient, allowing them to deliver better service, at lower prices, using less techs. Customers could well be thrilled and have added productivity in their own jobs. And I believe that the first Appliance manufacturers offering this capability would have a huge advantage and an opportunity to quickly gain market share while enhancing their brand as really advanced. This opportunity applies to just about every capital purchase in the house: Refrigerators, Washers & Dryers, Home Entertainment, Furnaces, Air Conditioners, stoves, Dishwashers, etc. household appliance accessories Some of you may think this sounds great but it’s too futuristic rather than realistic. Yet as I mentioned above, all of the necessary technology exists today. When you think about it, this idea is basically just an extension of the software being installed in most contemporary computers which allows control and problem diagnosis remotely by a great IT professional. And the campaign for acceptance of this idea could piggyback the huge investment by companies pushing entertainment along with communications products/services over broadband pipes, which is already in procedure. Who and When? So why hasn’t this happened yet? Why is this being ignored, while everyone dukes it out over home activity? It’s hard to say because it could really be the actual proverbial Next Big Thing..But again, it’s not very hot. And the Appliance manufacturers are not technology-driven companies, and consequently don’t’ innovate or adopt new technology very quickly. But this might happen, it’s just too big. It is only a issue of when. So what’s it going to take? Maybe it’s going to be a smaller appliance manufacturer who needs an edge to contend, and is nimble and more willing to innovate and receive risks. Or it might possibly occur when a network/systems management software company looking for ways to grow, decides to extend their core competency from B2B in order to B2C by approaching appliance manufacturers with market-ready software. Or an embedded software or silicon company that sees time to extend their microcontroller or embedded web server from the industrial world to the enormous consumer market. When will it happen? I don’t realize. I expected it to be well underway by now. nevertheless sometimes, big ideas are slow to catch on. With ours, I’m convinced it’s just a matter of time. Will your online business be the one to capitalize?