
CES 2016 – Observations for Product People - cpeterso
https://medium.com/@stevesi/ces-2016-observations-for-product-people-1f36b8792679
======
0xffff2
I'm disappointed by all four bullet points in the first section, and even more
disappointed that the author sees them as positive.

* No local storage: Great, I didn't want control over my data anyway. Yay!

* No wires: Now I have to spend 5-15 minutes configuring every new device, even if it's sitting right next to or on top of the device it communicates with. Yay!

* No buttons: Because tactile feedback is so overrated, and who doesn't want yet another poorly written and barely supported app on their phone to ensure it barely makes it through the day on a single charge? Yay!

* Almost, no mains: Who doesn't want to replace every single device in their life every couple of years? Your permanently installed security camera that never moves has a dead battery? Psh, no we don't sell replacement _batteries_ , just buy a whole new camera! The latest version has 10 new features you don't want and will never use. Yay!

Edit: Another gem later in the article:

>In addition, there are more specialized (and harder to make) controllers for
legacy home systems like garage door remotes, water heater, sprinkler, and so
on.

My water heater is a "legacy system" now? Why, because it doesn't have built
in WiFi allowing me to control its temperature in half degree increments from
work? If the world was really like the image portrayed by the article's over-
eager author, we never would have survived the horrible dark ages of the
1990's.

~~~
GFischer
It's not surprising, the autor, Stefen Sinofsky was in charge of the IMO
unusable Windows 8 start screen, including the lack of the "Start" button, so
you could say he hates buttons :) .

[http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-failed-at-nearly-
everyt...](http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-failed-at-nearly-everything-
it-set-out-to-accomplish)

~~~
0xffff2
Oh wow... That's what I get for not actually checking the by-line. Somehow I
didn't expect someone so notable to be writing for Medium. Now that you point
it out, I'm not at all surprised by the attitude in the article.

I'm still disappointed, but Windows 8 taught me to expect nothing less from
Sinofsky.

------
jedberg
> What was amazing was just how rare it was to even see a keyboard and
> certainly gone are rows of rectangular buttons. Yay!

This actually makes me sad. I liked the old days where I could operate my
device without having to look at it, just by feeling the buttons. This is
especially true for car radios, but it would be nice to be able to work blind.

With a kid in one arm it's a lot easier to have buttons than a touchscreen.

(And yes I'm aware that a touchscreen offers a much deeper UX experience, but
still, buttons can be nice too)

~~~
shostack
I'll chime in and add that they can pry my 5th gen clickwheel iPod out of my
cold dead fingers. I LOVE being able to track through a song in an easily
controllable manner, pause, play, etc. all without taking the device out of my
pocket.

Oh, and in its spare time, it serves as a portable 80GB HDD.

------
dgreensp
Does anyone else here think that using WiFi for controlling lights (and other
such applications) is a terrible idea? Every WiFi router I've ever owned had a
range of about 20 feet when there are walls involved, and a typical WiFi
device like a laptop or set-top box will lose its signal and require a manual
reconnection about once a week.

Bluetooth, on the other hand, easily requires two or three pairing attempts
lasting 30-60 seconds each every second or third time you try to use two
devices together.

I fear we are doomed unless we throw out the protocols we have and come up
with new ones.

~~~
0xffff2
I agree, but the solution isn't to throw out the protocols we have. The
solution is to use wired interfaces where appropriate. A light socket doesn't
move. It's harder to replace the socket than the bulb, but the best long term
solution is to replace the socket with a socket with an Ethernet port as well
as a power connection.

I recently started a job at a company that produced Bluetooth chips. I'm
currently about a quarter of the way through reading the entire Bluetooth
spec. It's 3000 pages long, incredibly complex, and most of the complexity
goes to ensuring reliable secure communication. It's not easy to just come up
with a new wireless protocol that "just works".

