Smart Products, Smarter Services: Strategies for Embedded Control
Cambridge University Press, 8/19/2010
EAN 9780521147507, ISBN10: 0521147506
Paperback, 350 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2 cm
Language: English
We are surrounded by products that have minds of their own. Computing power, in the form of microcontrollers, microprocessors, sensors, and data storage chips, has become so cheap that manufacturers are building connectivity and embedded intelligence into all types of consumer goods. These 'smart products' are fundamentally changing both the competitive landscape for business and the daily lives of consumers. This book analyzes the evolution of smart products to help managers understand the impact of embedded product intelligence on corporate strategy, consumer value, and industry competition. It describes four different ecosystem strategies for designing and launching smart products: the control-focused Hegemon, the standards-focused Federator, the high growth and brand-focused Charismatic Leader, and the disruptive industry Transformer. This ecosystem model is then applied to smart products in the automotive, wireless, energy, residential, and health industries. The book concludes with recommendations for successfully managing smart products and services.
List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
1. Evolution of embedded intelligence
2. Smart product ecosystems
3. Embedded product controls
4. Intelligent automobiles
5. Smartphones and wireless services
6. Energy
imbalance of power
7. Smart home vision and reality
8. Connected machines and consumer value
9. Smart product privacy issues
10. Strategies for managing smart products and services
References
Index.
'Smart Products, Smarter Services is a book whose time has come. After years of theorizing about adding connections to the things in our lives, we're finally doing it. Smarter devices are at the core of the emergence of ubiquitous connectivity, which will revolutionize business and consumer experiences alike. Read Mary Cronin's smart book to learn about device ecosystems, the application of smarter devices across many industries, and the best strategies to make them happen.' Emily Nagle Green, President and CEO of Yankee Group and author of Anywhere: How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business (2010)