Google has once again pulled a fast one on everyone, and announced that they have bought home automation (read: smart appliances) company, Nest, for a whopping $3.2 billion – in cash, darling.
The acquisition came as a surprise to many, mostly because of the fact that Google kind of kept it under wraps. No public announcement of their interest and no real media coverage.
However, according to Nest co-founder, Tony Fadell, Google has been involved in Nest for a few years already:
“œThis decision wasn‘t made on a whim ““ Google has been in the mix in some way or another for about three years of our almost four-year history. In fact, my first meeting with Google as a Nester was before we‘d launched“ Fadell said in a blog post published on Nest‘s website.
Nest was founded in 2010 by Fadell and partner Matt Rogers. Both of them are former Apple engineers and it is believed that Fadell worked on the original iPod back in 2001.
Obviously, with their combined expertise, the ex Apple boys started an innovative company that now, in 2014, stars as the leader of the “˜smart appliance‘ industry.
To fill you in; Nest is a company that basically transforms everyday, normal household items into smart appliances or devices. The California-based company has coined the term “˜conscious home‘ – thus, they want to make your home more conscious of you.
Their two flagship devices are gaining in popularity and it is estimated that they ship around 55 000 devices per month.
The Nest Thermostat is, what we‘d call, a “˜smart thermostat‘. The device can be remotely set to adjust the temperature automatically, by use of your smartphone or tablet. It also features a WiFi connection so it can analyze and compare the in-house temperatures with the temperatures outside.
It also has a sensor that can spread 150-degrees, in order to detect whether someone is home or not – this will then help the device adjust the temperature and save energy when you‘re not there.
Nest Protect is the company‘s other leading lady. It is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector that‘s sole purpose is to protect you – but in a smart way.
The device also has internet functionality and gives you colour-coded alerts; each one of course having its own meaning. Nest Protect has voice alarms and can also be controlled by hand movements. For instance, should your alarm be going crazy, you can just wave your hands in the air and it will turn off. Very convenient.
While 2014 looks set to be the year of wearable tech, it might just be the year of smart appliances, too. The smart appliance market is booming – we‘ve already seen smart refrigerators, smart light bulbs and (believe it) smart braai‘s.
With this market picking up momentum as we speak, it becomes clearer as to why Google bought (and paid so much) for Nest. With Nest being the leader in smart appliances, this now translates to Google – and now they are at the forefront of an emerging market. Well played, Google.
Source: Mashable
