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#News(IoTStack) [ via IoTGroup ]
IKEA’s embrace of the Internet of Things may be the boost the nascent industry needed.
This obviously isn’t all profit though, because aside from what must be hefty operational costs, IKEA has just announced that it will “invest significantly” in the development of its Home Smart range, which will become its own business unit within IKEA of Sweden.
For those of us who haven’t got themselves lost in a nearby IKEA in recent years, the retailer’s Home Smart range consists in an expanding number of smart devices for the home, which via the wonders of the Digital Age connect to the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT).
It first launched in 2012, and since then it has seen IKEA sell such products as smart lighting systems and smart speakers, all of which can be controlled via connected smartphone apps.
“We have decided to invest significantly in Home Smart across IKEA to fast-forward the development.
No doubt this is exciting news for IKEA, but it’s also exciting news for the IoT and smart device industries.
For instance, smart device penetration in American homes was only 15% in 2018, while the global average is 7.7%, with the U.K. being the second most IoT-friendly nation with an 8% penetration rate.
However, the entrance–or rather the re-entrance–of IKEA into the smart device market could change this imbalance between hopes and realities.
By committing so strongly to the smart home market, IKEA is likely to provide it with a significant boost.
These are the people to whom it can now sell an expanded range of IoT devices, and even assuming that only a percentage of them buy such devices, this will nonetheless go a long way towards spreading an awareness and appreciation of the Internet of Things among the mainstream public.
Of course, while smart devices offer a range of valuable benefits, the potential spread of the IoT by IKEA won’t be without its dangers.
Read More..
AutoTextExtraction by Working BoT using SmartNews 1.02810764966 Build 26 Aug 2019
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