I’ve been working in the tech industry long enough to see some real junk products along the way. From fish-shaped PCs to messaging clients that connected to slow GSM networks, there have been some memorably unsuccessful products. One that stands out in memory as a particularly odd product was LG’s Internet Fridge, a $17,000 food-cooling device that also included an Internet-connected computer at the door.
It did not sell well. Tech-enhanced versions of devices haven’t typically set the world on fire, largely because costs have generally been high: why would you spend $17,000 for a low-cost PC hooked up to a fridge when you could spend a couple a thousand on a large fridge and the same on a laptop, and the feature sets haven’t exactly improved the experience of using the device. I may be a sucker for social networking services like Twitter and Facebook, but that doesn’t mean I should update my status while having some milk.
Oddly enough, LG is getting another go at the Internet Fridge concept again, with models announced at this year’s CES trade show in January, but that was a minor concept next to the next big tech innovation, which is the concept of “smart” TVs. Most major TV providers now have a Smart TV platform, offering social networking, light internet browsing, some games, and access to up-to-date TV services from ABC and Channel 7. There is support for developers to build TV-specific apps. TV, but as yet there is no central standard for those apps, which means that features and apps available on one manufacturer’s TVs may not be available on the other.
The Smart TV concept probably has more advantages than the Internet-connected refrigerator, wireless toaster, or MixMaster with built-in fax (not that those last two actually exist) simply because they’ve been largely about the same price as us. You used to see TVs priced at, so you’re not spending too much on those features. More critically, they are better because the features they offer make some sense. When I’m watching TV and want to check something, the option to quickly display a web page makes sense. With the addition of a camera, the opportunity to hook up a Skype video call with the whole family sitting on the couch makes sense. If there’s a brief break for a bit of hype, I’d probably rather pass the time with a quick ad-hoc game than be told why I should buy this year’s rustbucket. You get the idea.
It is early for the concept of Smart TV. What do you think? Will your next TV purchase be a Smart TV or will the concept be cooler than the Internet Fridge?