8.
Better Wine.
For decades, selecting fine wines has been the purview of individuals such as Robert Parker, sommeliers and wine snobs. Contrary to what they may have you believe their ability to determine which wines will be great tasting isn’t good. What has been demonstrated to be an effective indicator of future fine wines is accurate information about the rainfall and temperatures in which the harvested grapes were grown.
In a world where sensors will soon be on nearly every vine, average consumers will not only know where to find the best tasting wines they’ll no longer have to guess whether that $15 glass of chardonnay is really twice the value of the $8 glass at the local bistro.
9.
Shorter Lines and No More Crying Over Spoiled Milk.
Advances in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, near-field communication (NFC) technology and other emerging platforms such as iBeacon are currently being used by innovative early adopters in the retail industry to allow consumers to pay for items directly from their smartphone. As these technologies improve and more retailers and consumers get comfortable with the technology, the well-known ritual of whipping out a credit card, sliding it through a payment terminal and signing a physical piece of paper will become as rare as finding a full service gas station. The short-term benefit: Shorter and faster moving lines at retail establishments. Mid-term, as the price of sensors and RFID chips continues to drop and the devices are placed inside packaging, you can expect to stop wandering aimlessly through the grocery store in search of that obscure spice that a new recipe calls for because you’ll be able to get in-store directions directly to the item. And longer term, when the sensor in your milk carton is smart enough to detect if the milk is running low or about to expire it will simply place an order to an entrepreneurial new mobile milk delivery service and a new carton of milk, along with the rest of the items your automated grocery list, will be delivered before you even knew you needed it.
Such visions may seem far off, unlikely to occur or, perhaps, even undesirable. A good way to think about where the IoT is headed is to contemplate where GPS technology was at the turn of the century. In 2000, President Clinton signed an executive order allowing GPS data to be used for commercial purposes. At the time, the accuracy level wasn’t very good and everyday uses—such as navigation systems capable of telling you turn right in 50 yards—seemed like science fiction. Today, such uses are commonplace and deeply valued by many users. Another way to consider the future of the IOT is to contemplate where artificial intelligence—in the form of technologies such as Apple’s Siri or Google Now—were in 2012. Just two years after their introduction the technology has already become the equivalent of an affordable personal assistant for many people, and it’s getting smarter every day. (Expected by the end of the year for artificial intelligence to be able to book flight, hotel and rental car reservations for you). In this same way, we are now just in the early days of the Internet of Things and as it matures its new capabilities will be astonishing. Don’t just expect to told where to turn or when to book your flight, expect to have these actions taken for you before you even think or know to take them yourself.
Jack Uldrich
is a renowned global futurist, popular keynote speaker and best-selling author. His website is www.jumpthecurve.net and he can be reached at j[email protected].
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