This is an aspect of technology which many people are not aware of, but which may make some sense… As more and more devices gain ‘intelligence’ (that is, with a CPU, and connected to the internet) we may seen live in a world where virtually everything is ‘smart’ or ‘connected’.
The time will come (relatively soon) where there are more ‘things’ on the internet than people…
The Internet of Things
http://gigaom.com/2011/07/17/the-internet-of-things-infographic
In 2008, the number of devices that connected to the Internet exceeded the number of people. That number continues to rise, thanks to a growing number of connected devices and gizmos, ranging from televisions to soda machines. Folks at Cisco have put together this infographic to showcase the growth of the Internet of things.
Cisco: 50 Billion Things on the Internet by 2020
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/cisco_50_billion_things_on_the_internet_by_2020.php
Cisco has designed an infographic that offers a simple example of how Internet of Things will affect you in your everyday life. It also states that by 2020, there will be 50 billion ‘things’ connected to the Internet – everything from your body, car, alarm clock, and even cows.
There has been some contention about the number of connected things and by when. Cisco’s prediction of 50 billion devices by 2020 matches Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg’s prediction earlier this year within a similar time period. However IBM recently put it at 1 trillion connected devices by 2015. Indeed in April 2010, Cisco’s own CTO Padmasree Warrior said that by 2013 the number of devices connected to the Internet will reach 1 trillion. So, even Cisco doesn’t seem to have a consistent prediction.
