The Internet of Things (IoT) ushers in the new generation of technology. It is going to change the world as we know it. We are now going to be able to control almost everything we use in our daily life, from our television sets to our cooking oven through the internet. By 2020, an estimated 25 billion things will be connected to the internet. This can only mean one thing. App development is going to grow like never before. No longer do developers only have to program conventional devices like a laptop or a mobile, but they get to program pretty much anything. The world is their canvas, literally. This is the surest sign you are ever going to get. It is time to get into development.
With IoT one thing become clear. The line between a business and an internet business is going to fade away forever. Every business is going to integrate their products with the internet and that means every single industry is going to start employing developers. While it all seems hunky dory and might be what many people think is the greatest idea since the wheel, maybe we should back up a little and see the negative repercussions for a second.
One of the biggest pitfalls of this amazing idea is going to be security. If every single device of yours is going to be connected to the internet, that means every single device of yours is vulnerable to hackers. There will most definitely be a huge invasion of privacy into your homes thanks to the enormous presence of the internet. Another, quite scary aspect of the internet of things is the new search. Unlike the conventional search, the new search will return hits on devices connected to the internet, full with information from when it was purchased to what version of software it uses. This will serve as the perfect database for hackers to find vulnerabilities in older versions and remotely hack your device. Ok, now its getting scary, an internet geek in India could soon be the one deciding when to switch off your oven!
Another disturbing aspect of the IoT, is how we soon are going to be completely at the mercy of the developers. Even if your device works perfectly, if it has an older version of the software, you are going to have to throw away. Great, so in this world of rampant and rather obscene commercialisation we are just going to be sold more products. This definitely means the life of all the devices in our house is going to drastically reduce. No longer will your fridge last you a long 10 years, you will probably have to exchange it in annually.
So yes, the Internet of Things is a huge deal. While it brings with it a flood of opportunities, it also brings risks. We might see security software boom and our lives become simpler or we might see an exponential increase in electronic waste. The Internet of Things is a huge responsibility. Let us use it wisely.
