Richard Waters of the Financial Times shares his thoughts on the 2015 CES in Las Vegas

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2015_CES_FT_150108

The next big hope:  The Internet of things as the “Tech world feels its way through the dark in internet of things”

This is going take time to frame but in the interim, Waters is looking at three options to monetize the path forward.

The Three Options (interim mega trends?):

1.  Charge premiums for “Smart Versions” of “Dumb Things”.

2.  Use new connectivity to turn one-off hardware into ongoing services.

3.  Through an increasingly expansive network, use collected data to make the world better

I looked at these and asked the question, are these interim megatrends that will drive the world of Hi-Tech over the next five years?  Don’t know but let’s expand on Waters’ thoughts.

1.  Charge premiums for “Smart Versions” of “Dumb Things”:

We add sensors to familiar objects, e. g., snowboards, dog collars, kitchen scales, develop an app so the owner can monitor and control.

2. Use new connectivity to turn one-off hardware into ongoing services:

Here are two examples that are already growing:

  • Home monitoring
  • Tracking the well-being of elderly relatives

3. Use collected data to make the world better:

Waters did not use this example, but I think the Tesla Motors Li ion battery Giga-Factory is a good one.  It’s more than collected data, it’s bringing all the technology together that will lower the cost of the final product.  In Tesla’s case, the Li ion battery will be manufactured in a 10 million sq.ft plant in North NV close to significant deposits of lithium.  Large solar and wind turbine parks immediately adjacent to the plant will lower energy costs.

Tesla_Battery_Plant6,500 workers will produce 0.5 million EV batteries a year.  This world’s largest battery plant is projected to lower the cost of EV batteries by 30%.

Does this make sense you ask?  Tesla Motors sold more EVs in December than any other car manufacturer in the world.  The Top 3:  1. Tesla S, 3,500;  2. Nissan Leaf, 3,102;  3. Chevrolet Volt, 1,490.  And the Tesla was at least twice as expensive as the Volt.

Here’s a photo of the Tesla S.  Thanks to images.conceptcarz.com.

Tesla_S_

For more on his thoughts, contact Richard at richard.waters@ft.com or read more in the FT article

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