By Yoel Frischoff | February 2026 | TheRoad IoT Tech Expo Global 2026 at the Olympia I spent two days at Olympia London last week, wandering the halls of IoT Tech Expo Global 2026. After 25 years in product strategy – much of it at the intersection of hardware and software – I've developed a filter for these events: ignore the buzzwords, watch for the shifts in conversation. This year, the conversation shifted. Why London, Not Vegas CES gets the headlines. The glitzy product

Satellite IoT just graduated from backup link to core infrastructure. Issue #2605 of the Smart Tangibles News Digest tracks how buyers now rank security and resilience above bandwidth, why forecasts put satellite IoT on a 24% CAGR path to 2035, how NTN NB IoT with a single SIM is becoming real, and how regulators and EU security programs are reshaping the design of connected hardware and services.

This week’s Smart Tangibles Digest examines how the connected-hardware stack is becoming more productizable. From brokers absorbing storage and standards upgrades improving fleet economics, to edge AI platforms gaining long-term OS support and deployable form factors, Issue #2507 highlights the operational maturity shaping scalable, service-led IoT products.

This week's digest signals a shift in IoT from “connected” devices to “operational” systems. IoT stacks are now judged less by feature checklists and more by autonomy, resilience, deployability, and service-backed distribution - how well they run independently, survive real-world failures, and integrate smoothly across environments.

Digital twins, edge AI, sensor-as-a-service, AI-ready MCUs, and software-defined buildings. This week’s Smart Tangibles Digest maps the key shifts shaping next-generation connected products.

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