Is Nest on its way to a Smart Home?
A few tech outlets just published their profiles of Nest's latest product, a smart smoke detector:
The $129 Nest Protect, launching this fall, is a handsome white square with rounded corners and an op-arty sunflower pattern. When smoke or carbon monoxide reaches a government-specified level of peril, the device performs like every other alarm. But what sets Nest Protect apart is its vocal warning before things get that bad. This feature has the potential to save lives: Millions of people intentionally disable smoke alarms because they’re fed up when the alert blares at the slightest hint of charred bacon. Nest’s verbal alert gives owners a chance to head off a heart-palpitating klaxon call when none is warranted, making it less likely they’ll rip out the batteries in disgust. And the Nest Protect will never wake you at 3 a.m. to inform you that the battery is low—instead, when the lights go down at bedtime, its gentle ring of light provides a status report. A green glow means all is fine; a yellow circle tells you that it’s time to replace the battery.
I'm still on the fence about how much demand there will be for the Nest Protect. Outside of tech enthusiasts, I'm not sure how many people give enough thought to their smoke detectors. Obviously, more people should out of safety. But I don't know how many people are willing to spend that much cash for something they use infrequently.
But more than anything, this article makes me wonder, just what else are they planning to introduce? After all:
Nest’s great promise is to vivify all the dumb, banal, and annoying products in our lives with excellent design, connectivity, learning ability, even personality. As these common household devices begin to burst with charm and intelligence, our homes may come to resemble a real-life Pixar movie in which toasters, light bulbs, and vacuum cleaners all vie for best supporting roles in the category of smart appliance.
Of the top of my head, I imagine they'll tackle locks, air conditioners, vents, light fixtures, doors, and maybe even larger appliances, like fridges. And that's not even accounting for the corporate world, where I imagine the majority of their sales will eventually come from.
And while all of the possibilities are exciting, it's hard to imagine these products as anything more than a niche offerings. Not everyone wants to make their homes smarter, nor can they afford to do so. And while I love the efficiency from Nest's learning thermostat's, they'll need to make their products more affordable before they have any real traction in the home appliances industry.
