From Ubiquitous Computing to the Internet of Things

Abstract

The Internet that most of us knows as the World Wide Web is expanding beyond PCs and mobile devices. Called the “Internet of things”, this movement will link consumer devices, enterprise assets, media and everyday items, such as packaged goods, to the Internet at an increasing rate. Why the push? New business models and new ways of interacting with customers, employees and suppliers are possible when physical items are linked to the Internet. In theory, the Internet of things will make it possible for a connected refrigerator to automatically order milk. However, history has shown that, even though a technology can be transformational, it takes a series of many small evolutions before the consumer and business world are ready for transformational models like this. We believe that, at first, the sweet spot for the Internet of things will be to use it in simple ways that extend or enhance an existing process. For example, a washing machine that has a 2D bar code can enable a smartphone user to view the instruction manual, or a service person to view the service history and parts list. In contrast, using the Internet of things technologies to make a washing machine that can auto-detect clothes by reading the RFID tags on the garments' labels, and consequently run at the right settings, is less likely to gain adoption.