Yahoo thinks that 2014 will fundamentally change the way we live our lives. At the fundamental level our lives would be increasingly connected to the Internet. The so-called Internet of Things will be the tipping point that everyone is talking about. And why is it so?
Why 2014 is significant?
Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive officer, thinks that as more people access the Internet in mobile than on PCs (or Macs) the changes will bring about paradigm shifts on how the way the Internet is being used. Everything that we do and want will be in the clouds. You know where your car has been and know what exactly is happening in your home, said Mayer. Task Rabbit said that people that are able to know where their car went would consider loaning their automobile to another person.
Why IoT will happen?
IoT was not possible before because of the lack of bandwidth. Google Loon and Google Fiber are steps toward the right direction in making high bandwidth available to homes. Previously, enterprise customers can reap the benefit of ultra-high Internet speeds. Now, it is possible for the home to get the same speeds with the fraction of the cost. This means that things around the house from your cleaning robot to your thermostat—everything will be connected to the Internet.
Why IoT will revolutionize society?
Speaking at Davos, Mayer said that IoT will change the way people entertain each other and basically cause a paradigm shift on social patterns not seen before in human history. And all of this, she said, will start in 2014. Historians will look back at this year as the time where the Internet has fundamentally drove our lives and changed it forever.
Where are the pitfalls?
As Mayer expressed excitement over IoT, the enthusiam is met with some apprehension by Internet security analysts. While the bandwidth boom may be kind to the IoT it will also cause tons of problems. Now, devices can handle sending out of spam because the bandwidth allows devices to do so. New and better security models should also be developed as part of the growth path of IoT. And not just a rehash of old security models but a development of radically new approach to Internet security and thwarting various hacking methodologies.
Mayer knows that based on advanced models she is looking at it seems that IoT is upon us. But there is a need to work on some facets to make everything come out fine. Our lives will change with the dawning of IoT. But will the chance be for the best or worst? Only time can answer that question.