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Apple watches are displayed following an event in San Francisco, California, in March 2015.
The Apple Watch will usher in a generation of wearables users. Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
The Apple Watch will usher in a generation of wearables users. Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

The Apple Watch release is a pivotal moment for the internet of things

This article is more than 8 years old
Gerard Grech

The Apple Watch will be a turning point for public awareness of the internet of things – a sector that the UK could lead

We’ll look back on today’s much-anticipated release of the Apple Watch as a pivotal moment in the internet of things (IoT) revolution. With pre-orders of the product reaching one million in a matter of hours, IoT has hit the mainstream, moving into the public consciousness with a fashionable bang. This will be an acceleration point in the evolution of smart thinking and smart technology.

If the product is as much of a success as its manufacturers hope there is a real possibility wearable technology – whether in the form of a watch or a pair of glasses – will become as essential and everyday as their current analogue versions. IoT digital disruption will be the biggest influence on the cultural zeitgeist for the foreseeable future.

But this is simply the beginning: the real technological opportunities lie just over the horizon.

In order to take advantage of the multimillion-pound revenue opportunities and radical social change that lies at the core of IoT, entrepreneurs and business builders need to be brave in their predictions and plans. IoT is not only transforming technology, it will change virtually every industry from healthcare to energy and farming to education.

Take an oil refinery, for example. When digital sensors monitor the flow through a pipe, and data is fed back to decisionmakers, delivery systems can be used to capacity resulting in huge efficiencies.

Agile companies will adapt and embrace the potential of IoT. This groundbreaking, often misunderstood cornerstone of disruptive tech has moved to the centre. It requires new infrastructures and the harmonisation of complex networks of hardware, software and cloud-based computing.

Co-located in Cambridge and California, Electric Imp is an example of a great British company providing service platforms in this space, making it simple to connect various devices to the internet. Leeds-based Cocoon is a security device that “learns” normal in your home and alerts you wherever you are to abnormal activity.

Sensor-driven data analytics is a major opportunity. As more businesses connect their products to the internet the demand for software capable of analysing sensor data at a mass, cloud-based, level will be high. Tech City based Evrythng is leading the way, focusing on managing real-time data to drive applications

By extension, data security will be increasingly important, especially in the workplace. According to Gartner, there will be over 25bn connected devices by 2020. With so many connected devices talking to each other, software that encrypts and protects will be vital. Already there’s a thriving British software security scene growing in the green valleys of Great Malvern, close to GCHQ, as profiled in Tech City’s recent Tech Nation report. Industrious UK digital businesses are primed to further capitalise upon this niche.

While today undoubtedly belongs to the Californian powerhouse now synonymous with breathtaking design and seamless technological functionality, it’s important to recognise the growth trajectory of the UK digital ecosystem. Where London’s Tech City led, other urban centres followed and this is an incredible time for entrepreneurial advancement, with clusters of excellence emerging from Brighton to Edinburgh and beyond. With more than 1.46 million people employed in digital companies across the UK, we are in a strong position to become a world leader in IoT.

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