Brian Seemann, President at Resolution Products, Inc., addresses several industry issues prior to speaking at CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES in January:

What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health?

Relevance. Consumers are not looking to “gadget-ify” their life. People want tools that streamline their life and increase their feelings of well-being. Solutions need to specifically make a difference in people’s lives…not just be a cool way to do something.

What is the biggest driver for the connected consumer market?

Phones. Consumers have overwhelmingly selected the smart phone as their user interface. There will not be a competitor to phones, because they will morph into whatever people need from them. People want a connection to the world with them continuously. The evidence of this morphing is the curious, yet obvious inflection in the former trend of phones getting smaller to phones getting bigger. Because of this continuity, the home will have to integrate with the phone.

Describe your vision for the smart home and entertainment markets in 2020.

A vision presumes a goal of what things should be.  But I don’t think anyone has that much power in this industry…even Google. But some predictions about what might transpire are:

  • DIY market maturation, involving both proliferation and consolidation
  • Core security mainstream product manufacturers partnering or doing M&A with adjacent home automation and IoT players
  • MSOS engaging much deeper in the monitored security business venue
  • Emergence of Bluetooth LE as a viable technical and market force

Brian Seemann will be speaking on the panel “Smart Home: Channel Strategies and Business Models” at CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES in Las Vegas, NV, January 6, 2015. Other panel speakers include representatives from ADT, AT&T Digital Life, ROC-Connect, and Time Warner Cable.

For more information on CONNECTIONS™ Summit speakers, sessions, or topics, visit http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections-summit. Registration is still available!