Maturing Gracefully is my latest Capitallist Times contribution, and examines the mobile technology space. It’s both a review of the past, as well as way to think about the next big change in the connected market, machine learning and Internet of Things.

The internet of things involves the connection of a growing number of consumer products and capital equipment to the cloud for automation and data collection. You may be familiar with the connected home, where residents can monitor and control lights, thermostats, smoke detectors, security systems, locks and other features remotely, via their smartphones.

Discussions of this phenomenon often focus on sensors and the data they generate. But how systems learn from the information collected and communicate to the sensors is arguably more important. The internet of things doesn’t exist purely for monitoring functionality; these systems aim to identify subtle but meaningful patterns and respond with smart, automated actions.