The Internet of Things: A New Class of Computer

MIT Technology Review examined how the tech industry is gearing up for the Internet of Things, a type of computing in which everyday objects have network connectivity and can send and receive data. Cisco Systems has been predicting that as many as fifty billion "things" or objects could be connected to communications networks by 2020, far exceeding the number of today's PCs and smartphones.

University of Michigan professor and TerraSwarm researcher, David Blaauw was interviewed for the article:

“There is lot of quibbling about what to call it, but there’s little doubt that we’re seeing the inklings of a new class of computer,” says David Blaauw, who leads a lab at the University of Michigan that makes functioning computers no bigger than a typed letter o.

As computers with wireless capability gets cheaper, connecting more things to the Internet is becoming more affordable.

Blaauw noted:

“Every time there has been a new class of computing, the total revenue for that class was larger than the previous ones. If that trend holds, it means the Internet of things will be bigger yet again.”

Meanwhile tech companies are lining up to figure out the winning combination of software, interfaces and processors for what's ahead. To read the entire article, go to Business Adapts to a New Style of Computer (May 20, 2014): http://www.technologyreview.com/news/527356/business-adapts-to-a-new-style-of-computer/