Strategy in TECH...
OK, let me say upfront, I’m pretty sure the good folks at Josh.ai would take exception to the headline of this post. They might even have some harsh words for me. Most likely, they would argue they’ve always been about control. But in my view, they’ve been all about a subset of control – voice control (as well as AI or artificial intelligence).
This week, however, that all changed.
For the first time since the category has been independently tracked, new data from market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that global shipments of smart home devices actually declined in 2022. Not only that but while the market researcher predicts that 2023 will see a bit of a rebound overall, its largest segment – Smart TVs – will likely decline again this year.
In a dramatic move that represents a tremendous investment in consumer marketing, Savant Systems, Inc. (Savant) is piloting a second New York City showroom concept in Manhattan’s trendy SOHO district called, appropriately enough, Savant SOHO Smart Home Gallery. This new space joins the company’s long-running Flagship Experience Center, which is also in SOHO.
Savant offered industry media a presentation revealing their vision of the deep integration of energy sources (and uses) into a fully-fledged, well-thought-out, total smart home system. To drive the industry towards this future, Savant’s vision is expansive, intelligent, and in my mind, pretty exciting. It starts with a foundation of power and how to make it smarter.
Below, you’ll find some of the key highlights of Savant’s plans for smart energy.
Schneider Electric is looking to take that dumb old 110v power coming into the typical residential home and make it smarter…much smarter. As part of its strategy to lead the digital transformation of energy management and automation in the home, the company has launched two new lines called the Square D X and XD Series of connected wiring devices. This opens up a whole new world of control convenience and possibilities for homeowners, and the integrators who serve them.
SnapAV announced today (Tuesday) that its latest rendition of its automation brand Control4’s OS 3 operating software – OS 3.2.2 – finally introduces full support of the company’s popular OvrC remote management platform. No doubt part of their ongoing integration strategy since they first acquired Control4, this news is sure to make life just a little easier for their Control4 dealers who support OvrC.
When two power players decide to create something new together, the result could potentially shake the earth and be felt by all in the industry – especially by their competitors. Such was the first thought that came to mind when I learned that Crestron Electronics and Origin Acoustics – one, a home automation and integrated systems Jedi Master…and the other, a leading brand in premium architectural audio solutions – came together to create a new line of residential audio products under the Crestron brand.
Amazon.com Inc.’s secretive tech innovation development center, called Lab126, is said to be working on a more robust, step-up smart home control solution designed to be mounted into the wall, in a bid to take share in the custom integration channel. The move, first reported by Bloomberg News, is designed to take on major players such as SnapAV’s Control4 and other “professionally installed smart home control” providers.
URC and Somfy announced last week that they have come together in “a new phase of collaboration in smart home automation.” Building on the established strengths of the partners, both URC and Somfy end users will benefit from a seamless integration of Somfy products with URC control solutions.
Wow, surprising numbers from a new research report from Parks Associates shows that control system adoption jumped a full 38% in 2019 as compared to 2018. That’s a really big jump in a really short period of time.
