Your front door which automatically unlocks when you arrive at your home? Waiting in your bed while the coffee machine prepares your favorite cup of coffee? Lighting that turns on automatically based on your preferences? It all sounds futuristic, but it is no longer! It is already available, but do we actually use it?
The answer on that question is simply no, at this moment not. Although there are an increasing number of smart devices on the market, the consumer interest is nog overwhelming yet.
According to a research done by Telecompaper only 15% of respondents uses a connected smart device at home. (Telecompaper, 2016)
Smart devices are mainly bought by enthusiasts and the so called early adopters.
The share of smart devices in households is growing, but not as fast as the rate of introduction of new smart devices on the market.
To be honest, for me it is not a big surprise. I understand why not everyone runs to the store to buy this smart devices. From my point of view a lot of devices are not adding real value.
I’m not waiting for yet another device that automatically does this or that. How hard can it be to turn your lights on manually? I am not willing to spend a few hundred bucks to get that done automatically. Do not get me wrong, I am not completely against smart devices. The smart thermostat for example is very useful. That’s because the benefits are evident. It saves money, goes against energy waste and always provides a pleasant room temperature.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the smart thermostat is the most common device in Dutch households that is linked to the internet. The same research showed that 10% of dutch households makes use of a smart thermostat. Nevertheless, I wonder whether that is because of the real interest in smart devices or because we are in fact bombarded with advertisements from energy suppliers. Who does not know him , Toon the smart thermostat? (all international students, I guess)
Still, I think smart devices have a future. Once they become cheaper and more useful
every “stupid” house will turn into a smart one. What about you? Do you already depend on smart devices?
References:
Telecompaper. (2016, september 22). Nederlandse huishoudens nog weinig belangstelling voor smart home devices. Retrieved from http://www.telecompaper.com/achtergrond/nederlandse-huishoudens-nog-weinig-belangstelling-voor-smart-home-devices–1163432
Hi Sander, thank you for your interesting blog post! I share your opinion about smart devices hitting the market. I think we just have to much right know. As technology advances, it becomes more feasible to load products
with a large number of features, each of which individually might be perceived as useful. However, too many features can make a product overwhelming for consumers and difficult to use. Because of this, I personally have a hard time to decide, which smart product to buy. I am also missing the WOW effect because of less differentiation and high commodity products. Anyway, lets see where the journey takes us!
Hello Sander. I think this is a very interesting topic. Personally I wouldn’t buy smart devices on a whim, because relatively speaking they’re not cheap and I don’t necessarily need them in my daily life.
A lot of the smart devices are just a luxury and as you just said, they don’t really add value. But there also are a lot of smart devices we forget about. Except for the smart thermostat, you also have smart devices that are developed to detect intruders or fires. Even a smart device where you can simply put the lights on and/or off, may cause less burglars because they could think that someone is home.