We used to have a dystopian view of how the Internet would reshape our lifestyle: picture teenagers trapped in their bedrooms lost in cyberspace. Fortunately, things have turned out differently because mobile phones have taken the Internet everywhere. We have Apple and Google to thank if our teenagers are now out and about snapping Instagram pics rather than glued to their chairs - the former for showing the way with iPhone and the latter for making it accessible to everyone with Android.
Mobile phones are however just the beginning. We are now watching the Internet reach into our homes and cars.
It started with beautifully designed niche players, like Nest (for the home) and Zubie (for the car). Big players like British Gas, Mercedes and Ford have already got involved, offering more integrated, but closed, solutions for smart homes and connected cars. If the Internet of Things is going to have its own 'iPhone moment', it is likely to emerge from this space.
We are now seeing the beginning of a different space: yesterday's announcement of the Open Automotive Alliance brings Android and its Google-controlled open model to the connected car. Just a few weeks earlier, the Linux Foundation announced the formation of the AllSeen Alliance to foster the development of an open ecosystem for the Internet of Things. With LG, Sharp and Panasonic among its founding members, the initiative will clearly begin from the connected home.
While I expect companies like Nest, Tesla or British Gas to deliver the first wave of truly useful and widely adopted connected services, these and other open initiatives are likely to take off even earlier than Android did in the smartphone race because convenience and utility increase exponentially with every additional connected device and, at least in Andoid's case, they already have a thriving development community.
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