Bosch just announced that they are launching a new subsidiary company for Internet of Things products and services. The company will supply electronic components and related software services which can be used to make objects smart and web-enabled. The company's initial focus will be on sensor-based smart homes, as well as sensor-based traffic & transportation.In the company's press release, they add their prediction "by 2015 [there will be] more than six Billion 'things' connected to the Internet." This joins Cisco's prediction of over 50 Billion connected things by 2020, IDC's prediction of over 212 Billion connected things by the end of 2020, Gartner's prediction of up to 26 Billion connected devices by 2020 (down from the 30 Billion they predicted a few months ago), and Ericsson's prediction of 50 Billion connected devices by 2020.
These predictions aren't new. At least five years ago Nokia was predicting "1000 connected devices per person in 2015." What's new is that whatever the numbers, the vision is becoming a reality.
Bosch's subsidiary company may be new, but their focus on Internet of Things, and their R&D and product offerings, have been active for years. At the CES show in January, 2013, they showed connected consumer security cameras, connected home solar panels, and more. And they've been researching IoT technology and IoT business models for years.
Bosch is one of dozens of technology giants engaged in active Internet of Things R&D, as profiled in our 148-page report on IoT R&D. The IoT area is developing daily, with new products and new technologies. Whatever the exact number of "things" is going to be, they're going to exist. Do you understand the Internet of Things enough to know how it will impact you and how you can prepare?