Internet of Things products rely on hardware sensors. These are little devices that monitor things like room temperature, heart rate, compass reading, etc. Sensors need to be cheap and plentiful. Low prices mean ultra-low profit margins.
So how do you make money in the sensor business?
- Only allow access from a front end you control, and charge for the front end.
- Don't bother trying, let suckers eat the tiny margin.
- Give away the sensor and own the data center and/or UI.
Those are the consensus as far as I can tell, anyway. But I don't know if I believe this is all you can do. So here are my contrarian answers:
- Sell a lot. Win by brute force.
- Raise prices. If your sensor is so valuable, why can't you charge for it?
Excellent! That's a guy who's just annoyed at the whole thing. He doesn't care what happens as long as he gets home on time.
The white collar folks might have more of an appetite for bubbly froth.