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On the “Internet Fridge”
The Wall Street Herald
By Patricia Harrison
Recently,
consumers were treated to the spectacle of the joint venture between Zero
Tech and Kitchen Beauty, Inc. in the creation of “Internet-compatible
refrigerators”. The announcement said that the move might strike some
business analysts as “unusual”, and I am one of those analysts.
Consumers
usually go into the refrigerator to remove food, and that is the extent of
their use of the item.
As
for housewives who are working in the kitchen, I just cannot imagine that
they will find the time to scrub floors, cook, and surf the Internet at the
same time.
Also,
it is clear that the dominant trend is mobile Internet: access on cell
phones, laptops, and other appliances that can “go anywhere.” The primary
problem with the Internet refrigerator is that it cannot move; it is thus in
direct contradiction to the dominant trend in consumer appliances, not a
complement to it. By definition, wireless mobile Internet technologies must
make “fixed” Internet technologies obsolete.
Thus,
I think your basic premises are flawed. In my studied opinion, the “Internet
refrigerators” will experience very limited sales, at best.
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