The flaw in the Internet of Things [Video]

Yes, more and more devices will be connected to the Internet, but beware of the inane ideas being proposed

Credit: NicoElNino / Shutterstock

The “Internet of Things” is back, with a sudden explosion of commentary about how it’s The Next Big Thing. It was The Next Big Thing about a decade ago as well, but turned out not to be. Maybe it’s back in the air because people are excited again about mobile tech innovations such as the iPad and are looking for more things to make exciting. Maybe it’s a secret plan to get people to finally care about IPv6 and IP address shortages; after all, if everything is connected to the Internet, they’ll need IP addresses, of which we’re running out in the traditional IPv4 form.

For probably the same reason the pundits’ view of the future always has flying cars and talking computers, the examples for the Internet of Things are household appliances: refigerators that order a new carton …