According to a survey last year, less than 50% of appliances that are internet-capable ever get connected. When I talk to manufacturers, I often hear even worse numbers, sometimes below 30%! Despite many years and billions of dollars of investment into the “Internet of Things”, this lack of adoption makes it clear that even if a device can be connected, consumers don’t see the value in most cases. I think it’s time to admit that the core idea of IoT has failed. To understand why, it’s worth looking at how it was originally pitched, and what flaws time has revealed in those arguments.
Why would you connect your fridge to the Internet? Mostly to receive software updates to fix security bugs, which never bother you if you do not connect your fridge to the Internet.
