A little mainstream media frenzy
New thermostat generates coverage beyond HVAC market
My smartphone recently alerted me that Google’s newest Nest smart thermostat had been reviewed by a number of publications that are not known for covering HVAC sales.
Several technology websites, as well as the Dallas Morning News, had given its opinion on the unit. And while it didn’t generate as much publicity as the newest iPhone from Apple, when was the last time you saw a thermostat garnering mainstream media coverage? Probably the last time the unit was released.
A number of manufacturers now also offer smart thermostats for the HVAC market, but Nest seems to hold a special place in the public’s mind – or at least in the minds of technology columnists.
The “Internet of Things” aka “IoT” – as an editor, I’m not happy to see the industry has another acronym – will connect everything eventually, it seems. But I wonder if this is a case of the media getting ahead of the public’s general interest. Until recently, the thermostat was just something that hung on the wall. Most consumers don’t know the brand, let alone model, of the furnace its connected to.
Are they really interested in controlling their homes’ temperature through their smartphone or tablet? Or is the technology like smart watches, where a few people love them and most others are happy with a $50 Timex, their high-end Omega or Breitling or nothing at all?
