Whether Consumer or Commerical, IoT Will Thrive in the App Store with Michael Longoria of Universal Screens

 

The average consumer is well acquainted with IoT products; in January, 39 million Americans owned a smart home product, and the number is only growing. As consumers get more comfortable with these products in the home, the market for automating every aspect of the house from the air conditioner to the blinds becomes more exciting and attainable. What’s commoditizing these products, and how is that affecting the manufacturers looking to enter or expand in the IoT market?

Michael Longoria, Business Development Manager for Universal Screens, joined us on the podcast to analyze IoT product growth, both consumer-grade and commercial-grade offerings. What Longoria has seen is a trend toward app-based IoT in both spaces, a trend that’s changing how providers package and brand their tech. “The trend is everyone’s going to either hire a company to do it, or they’re going to try to do it themselves,” Longoria said.

More apps means open-sourced technology, a positive trend for some and a headache for others. Either way, customers expect products to integrate seamlessly, and that’s translating back to the commercial side as well. Longoria clues us in to how that’s affecting the market, what new IoT technology is catching the most wind, and what the biggest inhibitor on the market’s growth is today. “I think it’s just the lack of knowledge, just not knowing what the product is since it is a growing product,” Longoria said.

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