I think the sticking point for most IoT devices is interface. It’s not that they don’t or can’t have cool interfaces. It’s that users don’t like adding interface points to their life. It may very well be that knowing the temperature of our fridges will become an important part of our lives. But we’re never going to find that out as long as I have to login to some special site, or even use a special app on my phone to find out. Basically, if that information isn’t being seamlessly folded into my existing/minimum interface then it might as well not a well exist.

Which is why money is on something like Alexa being the killer app that brings it all together. Truth be told, Alexa has already been that in my life. I’ve had smart bulbs in my house for years but it wasn’t until I got Alexa that I started actually using them. The fact that I can just tell her which lights I want on becomes a shockingly addictive part of my life. I also use her to interface with the web for a surprisngly large number of task.

These devices are going to become a ubquitous focal point with their ability to help us manage our information. “Alexa, read me my emails. Alexa, reply to last email with blah blah” is going to get the device into our life. And once it’s there, it’s going to bring all the other IoT devices along for the ride.