On IoT Evolution World this week, the IoT goes global with big developments in Asia, local with a Sears IoT store and insane thanks to a Cisco (News - Alert) announcement (it’s really a big deal). I hope you’re hungry, ‘cause we’re about to dig in.
First, in local news, Sears announced that it will launch a Connected Solutions flagship store at The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, California. The new space will feature a living room, kitchen, nursery, workout room, garage and outdoor area, so customers will be able to experience the benefits of smart technology firsthand. The program will be expanded to hundreds of stores across the country. Online, members can experience the San Bruno store and shop for an even wider selection of smart products on the new Sears Connected Solutions site. Also, I need a new wrench.
Thanks to two bits of big IoT news in Asia, the world was satiated … but only for about a half hour. (Editorial note: we apologize for that joke. It was not good.) In an announcement made June 29, Juniper Research (News - Alert) reported that it predicts that the Far East and China region will account for 22 percent of all global cellular M2M connections by 2019, which is a substantial increase from 2014, when it was at 15 percent. The new research, called “M2M & Embedded Devices: Strategic Analysis and Vertical Market Forecasts 2015-2019,” found that concerted efforts by China’s major carriers, particularly in smart metering and connected cars, will account for the rise of connected devices in China.
Also in Asia, there’s a huge push toward smart city development. According to studies by Gartner (News - Alert), IDC and others, Asia is right now the area of biggest IoT growth, and that doesn’t exclude smart city technology. To capitalize on that, Altiux, a technology services company recently unveiled a suite of new Smart City Solutions at IoT Asia 2015 in Singapore and smart cities India Expo 2015 in New Delhi. The solutions include connected parking and street lighting technology, designed to address problems with parking space shortages and lighting energy management.
Finally, in the biggest news of the week, Cisco reaffirmed its plot to dominate the IoT. On June 29, the connectivity giant made another big step toward connecting the more than 99 percent of physical things that remain unconnected to the IoT with an announcement of the Cisco IoT System. This six-pillar plan is designed to address the complexity of digitization with an infrastructure that can manage large scale systems of diverse endpoints and platforms, and the enormous data flow that will result.
That’s your meal for this week. Visit us on IoT Evolution World for all the IoT news, my friends. Remember to register for the IoT Evolution Expo while the early bird discounts are still in effect. Only a little early bird time left. Also, please get in touch with us when you have stories. As always, if you have questions, comments, input or abuse, please send it to our editorial director, Ken Briodagh at kbriodagh@tmcnet.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @KenBriodagh.