Here’s this week’s Smart Tangibles digest - focused on product strategy for connected hardware, IoT, Policy, UX, and Manufacturing.

The hardware landscape is changing fast. Old advantages like manufacturing scale or IP protection no longer guarantee success. Companies must now master global supply chains, use cost arbitrage, and build strong software layers. The new winners excel at both manufacturing and software, combining global efficiency with sharp local market insight.

Ikea smart-home rotary dial remote control Announcement IKEA j ust announced a full smart-home reboot – A barrage of 21 new Matter -based products launching in parallel. Bulbs, sensors, remotes, plugs – all redesigned, all cheaper, all built on an open source multi-vendor interoperability standard. What is the Matter standard, and why does it matter? Matter is a universal smart-home standard designed to eliminate compatibility problems between devices from different manufa

Killer features are single capabilities that drive platform adoption and disrupt competition. These features, often at the intersection of physical design and digital intelligence, redefine value dimensions and force competitors to adapt. Examples include the Sony Walkman’s portable music, the Macintosh’s graphical user interface, and Dyson’s bagless vacuum cleaner.

Launching and scaling a product, especially in the smart hardware space, can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. You have a great...

Office hours discussing how far have you gone smarting up your products, to increase users value, and customers life time value

In Copenhagen? Take advantage of this opportunity to discuss product strategy, business models for smart hardware, connected devices, and...

Launch events are crucial for demand generation, creating shared cultural moments that shape perception and set the stage for product adoption. These events, exemplified by Apple’s theatrical approach, build anticipation and community among developers, distributors, customers, and media. The unboxing experience, a key part of this journey, reinforces brand value, builds anticipation, and ensures a seamless first encounter with the product.

Net Present Value (NPV) is a key tool for evaluating project profitability. NPV calculates the present value of a series of future cash flows, discounted by time and risk. If the total is positive, the project is financially viable; if negative, it’s not worth pursuing. This chapter breaks down the logic, math, and real-world implications of NPV to help product leaders make smarter capital allocation decisions.

We’re excited to announce our participation in the IoT Tech Expo at RAI Amsterdam on September 24-25! Join us as we explore product strategies and initiatives shaping the future of IoT, Industry 4.0, and Smart Hardware. Let’s connect, share insights, and drive innovation together.

Net Present Value (NPV) is a key tool for evaluating project profitability. NPV calculates the present value of a series of future cash flows, discounted by time and risk. If the total is positive, the project is financially viable; if negative, it’s not worth pursuing. This chapter breaks down the logic, math, and real-world implications of NPV to help product leaders make smarter capital allocation decisions.

Two critical dimensions are often overlooked in product business models: time and risk. These shape the opportunity cost of capital - the value of the best alternative forgone. We break down simple vs. compound interest, explain why investors demand a risk premium, and show how timing and uncertainty affect real-world investment choices. Up next: Net Present Value and strategic capital use.

Blending Goods and Services Economics explores the unit economics behind smart tangibles—physical products enhanced by software, sensors, and connectivity. This series, part of the Smart Tangibles book, dives into production economics, cost accounting, and managerial strategies for building viable, scalable business models. Learn how companies like Apple and Tesla balance costs, value, and risk to create powerful economic engines.

Can your product idea become a sustainable business? This chapter introduces contribution margin and break-even analysis — two essential concepts for evaluating the viability of smart, manufactured products. Using a simplified model that assumes one-time transactions, we explore how price, cost, and sales volume interact. It’s a first step toward understanding smart product economics — before diving into recurring revenue, services, and platforms.

Sure! Here’s a 490-character excerpt you can use as a preview or meta description: ⸻ Explore the future of connected products in our new LinkedIn group: Smart Tangibles – Things That Think, Interact, and Communicate. Join a growing community discussing the challenges, insights, and real-world use cases shaping this emerging product category. The group also supports the upcoming book Smart Tangibles (2026). Share your experience, contribute case studies, and help define what

As industries embrace digital transformation, integration into collaborative data ecosystems is becoming critical. From construction to pharma and aviation, point solutions that connect via open standards and APIs scale faster, gain trust, and deliver greater value. This article explores why tools like Revizto, Hopper, and PhlexTMF succeed by aligning with data pipelines - and what vendors should consider when deciding whether to go it alone or plug in.

As the line between software and physical product continues to blur, mitigation becomes more complex as it is essential. Protecting smart tangibles demands an integrated approach - where supply chain security, firmware integrity, and cloud-based safeguards are treated as a unified surface of risk.

Extreme ideation cycle for field-data startup led to MVP delivery of mobile reporting tools, resilient offline scanning, and system integration flows. The work connected edge data capture to collaborative cloud platforms, enabling automation and insight generation across roles and regions. From field to dashboard, the result: a clear product vision rooted in real-world constraints.

Swatch has the opportunity to reframe the smartwatch as a style-driven platform rather than a utility device. By combining affordable hardware with modular design and dynamic digital personalization, it can appeal to fashion-conscious users seeking flexibility and expression. This approach aligns with Swatch’s design legacy while enabling ongoing engagement, creative experimentation, and long-term brand relevance.

smart tangibles benefit from enhanced utility but are susceptible to increased cyber threats. This post discusses strategies for smart product cyber resilience.