We’re still super early in the evolution of the Internet of Things. I’m not cautioning consumers against buying into new technology – the only way these devices get better, smarter and more adroit is with mass adoption – but buyers do need to recognize that the world of connected devices is different than unconnected devices.
This stuff isn’t going to last forever and we don’t know what upgrade and support cycles will look like. That’s markedly different than the way we used to buy gadgets. Sure, there was always the risk that a company would drop support for a product 49 days after release, but the risk of a product just not working anymore was significantly less.
In this new era, it’s important to think about the potential that your entire home could just stop working – and planning for those scenarios.
It’s also time for companies behind those products to recognize that the expectations buyers have for their products and the expectations they have for supporting said products aren’t always going to be in alignment.
Pete Deutschman 