One of the hottest topics in the tech world right now? No doubt it’s the subject of almost daily discussion, and while you may not always hear the term being used in conversation, many of today’s trending technologies are in one way or another “things connected” through the Internet. The Internet of Things has represented the next level of evolution for the Internet, where things such as television sets, cars, homes and kitchen appliances all have the capability of being connected to the web. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will provide some great insights as to where the Internet of Things is taking us and while there are some things that will be shown which we might consider a bit bizarre, there are many others that will shed great light on the future of IoT.

 

This is part of a press release issued on 12/29: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today announced that the 2015 International CES will feature the largest ever showcase of products, services and technologies that make up the “Internet of Things” (IoT), with more than 900 exhibitors planning to share innovations that harness the power of the network to connect everyday devices.

“The ‘Internet of Things’ is the hottest topic in tech right now,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA. “It’s all about the opportunity to connect everyday items  like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our everyday lives. We’re excited that the 2015 CES will bring together all of the companies and products that are making this a reality.”

Research firm IDC has predicted that by 2020, with approximately 30 billion devices connected, IoT will be a $3 trillion industry projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13 percent. Gartner has predicted that there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the internet by 2020. Hendrik Bartel, research director at Gartner stated, “I think we will see the trend of more household/standard brands in the connected home space. This will be a huge step towards democratization of such services and devices. Certainly Apple HomeKit will bear the first fruits, and we should see products taking advantage of deep iOS integration at CES 2015. I am also really hoping for new innovative ways to control existing connected home devices.”

Time Magazine in a recent article rated “Connected Everything” as the number two hot trend theme of the show right after what we all might suspect as number one – 4K (although sound bars were also included in the top spot). As highlighted above, the Apple Homekit is without a doubt one of the hot-button IoT topics of the show. The Homekit will enable iOS users to control a variety of smart things from multiple manufacturers such as door entry and alarm systems, thermostats or lights. Through the use of Siri, an iOS user will be able to use their voice to turn on lights as well as adjust their thermostat.

Here is something from an Apple Insider article (published on the the 6th) discussing Apple Homekit accessories, as well as new audio device announcements made on the first day:

Schlage’s Sense smart lock (below) is the company’s first HomeKit-compatible keyless lock. A companion app allows Sense owners to control the lock and manage up to 30 access codes at once, which can be entered on a built-in touchscreen. The app will also allow users to check lock status and battery life as well as review activity logs without an existing home automation system. Schlage says that the Sense meets Grade 1 security specifications, the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association’s highest security rating.

Among the list of CES Smart Home Marketplace exhibitors are industry notables like APC, Lutron, Savant and Stampede. Further developments on the Internet of Things and connected devices will be upcoming in a followup blog next week as well as other media reports.

Oh and speaking of kitchen appliances, here’s an internet-connected range manufactured by Dacor, a Los Angeles-based company, that enables cooks to pre-heat their ovens remotely and look up and add recipes to their personalized database. It’ll run you back just a bit… MSRP — $8,999.00.