Maybe we're in an era where we don't want a sense of ownership anymore.
Home appliances are a big investment for everyone. With the intention of using it for as long as possible, it's something that you should take the plunge and buy. Recently, however, there have been issues that consumers can no longer ignore, from smartphones that become obsolete in a few years to smart TVs that slowly and steadily fall apart.
What is going on in the smart electronics industry and what is the future? Gizmodo writer Victoria Song has more details.
Sudden malfunction of smart TV
We have been using Samsung smart TV since winter 2016. I persuaded my roommate to go with the 50-inch one for about $600. It has great picture quality and works with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and the HBO Now app. Screencasts are occasionally choppy, but I didn't find that to be a big problem.
When I moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan last year, I put this TV in my Prius to save money. After that, apps that used to work started crashing, and streams started taking a long time to play. After all the updates were completed, I tried unplugging and plugging in the outlet, but the situation did not change. At first I suspected an internet problem. But the other TV I bought around the same time worked fine.
In the end, I decided to buy a new one on Black Friday 2019. Emotionally, I was a little disgusted, but I wasn't surprised. Even if you want to use your smartphone for a long time, it will soon become obsolete. After all, no matter how much money you pay to buy it, it feels like you are renting it rather than owning it.
Looking back, I feel like the CRT TV I used as a kid ended up in my house for about 15 years. What has changed since those days...
My experience with smart TVs is not uncommon. Especially in the past few years, when I rushed to buy a decent home appliance and it worked without any problems for the first year or two, it slowly and steadily started to fall apart. It seems that there are people who bought a smart TV in the past. The battery doesn't last long, it takes a long time to load screens and apps, and problems appear.
Suddenly End of Support Announcements
Sonos is no stranger to the backlash this year for announcing it would no longer support older devices. CEO Patrick Spence apologized to consumers via his blog, announcing that while older products would still be phased out, bug fixes and security patches would be provided "as much as possible."
Of course, after 10 years of use, any home appliance will start to wear out. Sonos is right to point out that 10-year-old processors have limitations. Still, a good speaker will last nearly 20 years, including regular maintenance. For many consumers, electronics like speakers should be a long-term investment.
Sonos has since announced that it will be releasing a new app in June. This means that older devices will continue to use the old app (or be compatible but have to choose), and new devices that go on sale after June will be able to use the new app. increase.
The Sonos example is a recent example that reflects the future update problems that the entire IoT industry will face.
The Philips Hue smart light bulb integrates with many third-party apps, which is very useful. It's not cheap, though. Since launching the Hue, Philips has upgraded the Wi-Fi bridge needed to group smart bulbs and enable many of the more advanced features. However, at the end of April this year, support for the first generation bridge will end.
If you haven't purchased the 2nd generation bridge, you'll have to pay an extra $60. The first generation is so old, the gap with the second generation is only three years. For those who bought the original bridge, it means that support will end in five years. According to Philips' website, the bridge will receive updates and support for a minimum of three years after replacement. Bulbs cost between $15 and $50 and are meant to last 25 years. Support for the 1st generation will end after 5 years. At this point, before jumping into the IoT ecosystem with good intentions, I have to think about whether it's really worth it, and calculate how much it costs. It seems a little troublesome.
This kind of "uncertainty" increases with the cost of gadgets. Light bulbs are relatively cheap in the IoT industry. Although maintenance costs such as those mentioned above are incurred, it can be said that they are lighter than large electrical appliances. However, the same cannot be said for more expensive appliances. A high-end robot vacuum is $700-$800. Considering that the end of support may be approaching in a few years, it seems that I will be worried for a long time.
The Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum was $1,000 when it launched in 2015, but by 2018 it was only found on Best Buy and eBay. Both Philips and Sonos have guaranteed lifespans for older devices, but whether or not this is happening across the IoT industry is yet to be standardized.
From owning to subscribing?
The IoT market is expected to grow to approximately $212 billion by the end of 2019 and $1.6 trillion by 2025. The number of home IoT devices handled by Amazon is increasing, and the price is becoming affordable. That said, not everyone has a smart refrigerator or washer/dryer yet. Also, the era of “buying” smart home appliances may soon be a thing of the past.
According to Forrester IoT analyst Frank Gillett, one of the challenges of IoT products is maintaining a continuous relationship with customers. For example, let's say you bought a microwave oven a long time ago. There aren't many chances to remember the manufacturer (apart from recalls), and it tends to be just bought.
In the past, the relationship between manufacturing and design costs and profits was much clearer. The proliferation of IoT devices requires companies to shift to a service mindset. From the consumer's point of view, they may end up paying for the product, but the company will bear the maintenance cost of the application and the server. This seems to make it more costly for consumers to use the device for the long term.
IoT is still in its infancy as an industry, and it is clear that there is a gap between the ideal and the reality for companies to meet customer expectations. "I can't imagine subscribing to a dishwasher," Gillett said, adding that it's unlikely that every appliance will be a subscription model. I wonder if I will do it.
In the US, there are services like BlueApron, which provides ingredients and recipes, and FreshDirect, an online grocery store. Services like ZipCar, which lets you subscribe to ownership without owning a car, can help reduce the insurance, mortgage, gas, and maintenance costs that come with owning a car. Uber and Lyft are also participating in these subscription services.
Service and Device Bundle
Nomiku is an American startup that sells a sous vide device for $150. The unique thing was that you had to subscribe to a meal plan along with the product. Entrees are $8-14 and sides $4-6. You can even customize meal pairings and preferences, as well as automated inventory tracking with RFID. If you buy $300 worth of food, you'll get $150 back (the price of the device), so you can actually use the device for free. However, this service will end in the second half of 2019. The main reason is that there were many affordable options. It also never launched outside of California due to logistical challenges.
Another example is the Tovala smart oven. A company that handles ovens that automatically scan products, automatically recognize the perfect cooking time, and cook. They also offer their own meals, and if you buy a certain number, you can get a $300 to $100 discount on the oven price.
From the case of both Nomiku and Tovala, what if Amazon did the same thing for a few hundred dollars and bundled it with the Amazon Fresh service? The fantasy of the world of smart cookware of the future turns into a dystopia. It's probably convenient, though.
Such a future is not yet set in stone, but many companies are currently testing it for success on various levels. And until those are completed, there are still many challenges left for IoT.
In particular, security issues in smart home products require attention. The UK recently introduced new legislation to strengthen IoT security. There have been attempts to take legal action in the US as well, but so far they have been vague and limited to devices for government use. The new rules proposed in the UK are reasonable, but they don't address detailed situations such as discontinuation of production, company going out of business, and being hacked.
Maybe that's the problem with smart home gadgets after all. Some, like robot vacuum cleaners, technically work to some extent without an internet connection. For Sonos, even legacy devices have a period of time that works with legacy apps. Other brands and devices have countermeasures... well, none. So a smart alarm system is just plastic and wiring if a server goes down. Without a guarantee that it will work offline, it can be a difficult task to decide if it makes sense to spend money on a smart home.
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Funnily enough, the other smart TV we had (which worked fine when our Samsung Smart TV failed) has also been acting up. Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime apps all crashing at least 4-5 times in 30 minutes... The Wi-Fi signal keeps dropping even though it's close to the router. I'd like to wait for the next sale season if I want to replace it, but at this point I'm not sure if there's any point in replacing it.
For example, if you buy clothes that are a bit expensive, if you take care of them carefully and have a policy of not washing them in the washing machine or something like that, they will last a lot longer. Of course, most electronic products have a limited battery life, so it may not be possible to achieve a “lifetime product,” but even so, it’s hard to find faults or end of support just a few years after purchase. I find it hard to accept.
In Europe, where I live, rules regarding "intelligent eco-design" are actively being discussed to improve reuse and recycling of home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. Before you get used to the short product life cycle, it seems necessary to properly face the impact on the environment.
Originally, the idea of smart home gadgets was simple and cool, packed with the latest technology, and automating troublesome tasks at home to improve efficiency. . I honestly have high hopes for what the IoT of the future will be able to do, and I hope that solutions will emerge that are sustainable as a way of doing business precisely because they are fun, and that do not put consumers at a disadvantage.