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Google to Acquire Nest

investor.google.com

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Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#311

Post by ThomPete »

notacoward wrote: post #284
ThomPete wrote: post #85

For once I can understand the pricing and think its in fact cheap. 1) Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. 2) Nest has a business model that works. People are paing for it and they love it. 3) Combining Google data with Nest access points I can only imagine the awesome things they can come up with and improve. Perhaps the first glimpse at an…

The only way Nest will have on in every home is by aggressively enforcing bogus patents against everyone who makes anything even remotely similar. We should cheer for that?

I think you are missing the bigger picture here.

It's not about the thermostat its about the ecosystem its part of.

And I did write "every" :)

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#313

Post by vdaniuk »

psbp wrote: post #267
pwnna wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree with the statement, lately Google's action has been concerning (with things like Reader, Google+ push, and what not). I just don't want to see Google dominating the world. Competition is nice.

Are you implying that google did a disservice to the competition by creating a desire for a product and then retiring it with months of warning for competitors to develop their product and attract google's large user base while allowing users to easily migrate their information to those services?

That is actually a very good point. With all the lamenting of Google Reader sunsetting, positive externalities are ignored. And they are plentiful: multiple startups have springed up to compete for new audience, established companies like Feedly have experienced an influx of users and the landscape generally became much more competitive.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#314

Post by [deleted] »

jt2190 wrote: post #244
psbp wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything I just said is the exact opposite of reality, so yes.

Poe's law explains why sarcasm doesn't work on the internet: "Without a blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of extremism or fundamentalism that someone won't mistake for the real thing." [1] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law (edit: Poe's Law always reminds me of this SNL skit where Fred Armisen tells Jimmy Fallon that the right way to tell a joke is to use a "catch phrase": http://v…

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Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#315

Post by MrZongle2 »

cloudwalking wrote: post #288
jcastro wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not worried about a shutdown as much as I am worried about it going into maintenance mode like Google Voice.

That is a legitimate concern, however, the press release says this: "Nest will continue to operate under the leadership of Tony Fadell and with its own distinct brand identity."

For now.

I think about the Flip Video -- a reasonably-priced, small video recorder that could capture up to 2 hours of HD video. It was purchased by Cisco in 2009, and the product line was killed 23 months later. This was before a large number of consumers had quality smartphone cameras.

Google had a good reason to drop $3.2B on Nest. Providing useful products that consumers love is not it.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#317

Post by BIair »

On the face, appears to be a huge valuation for an overpriced thermostat and smoke alarm. But combined with their recent robotic acquisitions I wonder if this signals a move beyond the smart phone, and smart car, to the smart home? If Google engineers want to build the Star Trek computer, surely they want to build the Jetsons home.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#318

Post by schwap »

ThomPete wrote: post #85

For once I can understand the pricing and think its in fact cheap. 1) Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. 2) Nest has a business model that works. People are paing for it and they love it. 3) Combining Google data with Nest access points I can only imagine the awesome things they can come up with and improve. Perhaps the first glimpse at an…

> Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence.

I really don't think so. Many homes haven't even upgraded to a $20 programmable thermostat, let alone a $200 nest.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#319

Post by smackfu »

VLM wrote: post #290
acdha wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You could get the same benefit from a device for $30 of electronics. … in theory but there's no evidence that most people actually see those benefits: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/revis... I was going to say that you should start a company to produce that competitive $30 thermostat but then you confirmed that you have no idea what you're talking about: > The price doesn't justify the energ…

"but in much of the country people pay many hundreds of dollars every month during the winter or summer. If a smarter thermostat saves 10% of that" Not mathematically / thermodynamically possible, sorry. I live in a cooler area but not the real cold areas up north. During the recent polar vortex, which momentarily was centered over my house (and I'm not kidding) we got down to -15. (70 - -15) = delta t of 85 degrees.…

The target audience of the Nest is someone who leaves their thermostat on the same temperature setting all the time, whose house is empty a significant portion of the time, and who doesn't have the knowledge or desire to buy a manually programmable thermostat. You don't sound like you are in that audience, but that doesn't mean the audience doesn't exist or that the product is foolish.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#320

Post by [deleted] »

gdilla wrote: post #293
nate_meurer wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The price makes me choke as well. But I think Nest's real value is as a market distruptor, the evidence being Honeywell's lawsuit and furious attempts to update their own products with comparable features.

Everyone who's complaining about how much Nests costs have obviously not graduated from college tastes into the world of interior decorating. There is a huge market for nice looking stuff to go in your house. Not everyone buys Ikea for their whole lives. Maybe they host parties, run in upper middle class social circles, etc. There's $10K kitchen ranges out there, $50 beer mugs. etc. Design can carry premiums in this…

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