Samsung's IoT ambitions will ride on integration, software chops
Samsung on Thursday outlined a series of devices that aim to position the company as your go-to smart home and Internet of things (IoT) vendor. What remains to be seen is whether Samsung can provide the software and integration needed to keep your home from becoming a technology headache.
At the IFA powwow in Berlin, it's safe to say that the tech industry has gone bonkers for the smart home and Internet of things. The key hurdle for these tech players is providing an experience that doesn't lead consumers to pay a premium for dumb cars and appliance.
Samsung outlined the following:
- A next-gen SmartThings hub that'll track everything from presence to moisture to security and give you all you need to know about your house. CNET noted that Samsung "spent a lot of time tweaking the layout of its app to make it more user-friendly."
- SleepSense, a sensor that will slide under a mattress to gauge sleep quality with 97 percent accuracy.
- The WW8500 AddWash, a washing machine with hidden clothes hatch as well as a companion Android and iOS app for alerts.
When you add those two items to Samsung's smartphones, appliances and TVs you can see how the company is trying to drop a sensor throughout the touch points of your life.
The catch? These things are going to have to be integrated and delivered in a way that's easy to digest. The market for technology is only growing, but it will go well beyond early adopters, fan folks and the industry. Crazy things like standards better be invisible. Platforms aren't going to matter to your mother. These various devices just need to work or you will need Best Buy to be your personal CIO.
For Samsung, the good news is that the company is about as well equipped as anyone else to pull together and integrate a bunch of things. Google, Microsoft, Apple and others have touch points, but not as many as Samsung. Now all Samsung has to do is to provide a software front end that makes IoT easy.