Why Smart Everything Is Dumb

Published January 15, 2014
Brace yourself - WiFi fridges and bluetooth toothbrushes are coming. Pitched as a big leap forward, Reuters' Jon Gordon argues the connected home paradigm is more shortsighted than futuristic.

The future is here, or so they tell me.

Smart TVs. Floor scrubbing robots. Android-powered ovens. Color-swapping lightbulbs. Even bluetooth toothbrushes.

Samsung is proclaiming this the 'New Era of Smart Home.'

Google's letting its cash do the talking though here - splashing out $3.2 billion for smart thermostat maker Nest.

What it looks like to me is: the consumer tech business model, shoehorned into regular white goods.

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