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I did a quick double-take reading today about Google buying Nest for $3.2 billion. Now that's an excellent Exit strategy for Tony Fadell, all in under 4 years of work to bring the world a wireless thermostat and smoke detector.
In the short term maybe but there is big money to be made by whomever controls the household. The phone, the car, and the house. If you saw the Samsung booth at CES you would have a clearer picture of where semiconductor domination will come from, absolutely.
Home automation is a very fragmented marketplace, but very interesting to watch develop. Our $9 thermostat and $15 smoke detector work great, so we're not a target household to spend $350 for an upgrade.
Agreed. I'm the target, people with video security, smart appliances, and a home theater system that I want to monitor/control with my tablet or phone. Make my life easier, reduce the time I need to dedicate to manage my household devices and I am your customer.
Decades ago I started using the X10 Home Automation system, but I don't read much about it in the news today. It controlled devices over the existing AC wiring in your home.
On top of the fact that they are paying for Nest's 'pioneer' capital, I think the entire purchase has brought the company into the mainstream and a lot more people will be aware of the company compared to even 2 months ago. I reckon Google have purchased this as part of a long term strategy to branch out into other consumer markets
To me it's utterly amazing that Honeywell has been in this exact same field for decades, and even has a competitive WiFi-enabled product for a lower price than the Nest thermostat. The big differences? Honeywell's unit is shaped square, which is boring, while Nest's unit is shaped round and shiny, which is reminiscent of any Apple-designed product.
Who knew that you could differentiate and innovate a product that was decades old, and in a mature market place?
D.A.N. - that makes a lot of sense, because Google Ventures could watch Nest revenues grow from $0 to $300 million in under 4 years, now that's a safe investment and makes it a compelling time to own the company.
Agreed. I'm the target, people with video security, smart appliances, and a home theater system that I want to monitor/control with my tablet or phone. Make my life easier, reduce the time I need to dedicate to manage my household devices and I am your customer.
How hard can your life be and how much time do you "waste" when you have to setup your thermostat once a day (maybe)? I am a techie too but it is getting ridiculous when I have to ask the Refrigerator via my mobile device how many eggs I have and wich one is older, when I can just get off the couch, open the damn door and look inside. Is this really going to be the next big thing?
My wife wants a washer and dryer that texts her when done which sounds reasonable. I want my bathroom scale to lock down the refrigerator when my wife gains a pound. That could certainly be the next big thing!
My wife wants a washer and dryer that texts her when done which sounds reasonable. I want my bathroom scale to lock down the refrigerator when my wife gains a pound. That could certainly be the next big thing!
