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It sounds like yet another ridiculous solution in search of a problem we
don't have, but it's not. In fact, it's devilishly clever. And practical.
And dangerous.
With all the banter about wired homes and networked appliances (remind me
why my TV would want to talk to my toaster, again?), this refrigerator one
actually does make sense on a number of levels. So let's riff awhile on the
implications of the WebFridge.
Just about every modern household has a fridge; matter of fact there are
more refrigerators in homes than there are bathtubs (scary thought, that,
but we won't go there). Every member of the household goes to the fridge
every day, many times per day. (Hear those marketeers going "waHOO!" in the
background?) Refrigerator doors start their lives as simple blank canvases,
but before long phone messages, chores, artwork, calendars, magnetic
poetry, coupons, shopping lists, correspondence and communications of all
kinds cover them completely. The fridge is truly the "desktop" of the
family.
That desktop, if it were wired, could offer ways to handle family "business
processes" like nobody's business. Carpool coordination, homework,
household duties, sports and band practice, the list goes on and on. Right
now most of this management takes place over the kitchen table and on the
kitchen phone, with the results posted on the fridge. So the kitchen is in
fact a highly logical place for software and technology. However, the
problem with putting a PC in your kitchen -- as opposed to the family room
or living room -- has been pretty basic: how? Who has enough counter real
estate for a tower and a decently-sized monitor? Or, for that matter, even
for a cute little Grape iMac? Oh, yeah, we'll just squeeze it in between
the microwave, coffeemaker, can opener, food processor and toaster. Uh huh.
And, um, "Hello, tech support? Does spilling oatmeal in it void the
warranty? It was an accident, really, my kid just... " Consumer appliances,
especially when they're in the kitchen, need to be built like amphibious
tanks. So hiding the machinery inside the fridge, with an
industrial-strength touchscreen on the outside, is a fine idea. (And come
to think of it, built-in cooling for a hot speedy processor might not be
all bad, either.)
The British firm that's worked with Frigidaire on their "Screen Fridge,"
ICL, has thought up a lot of cool stuff for it. They've built in a TV
tuner, so that while you're cooking you can watch a show. OK, that's nifty
multi-purposing, maybe superfluous. Since you've got a high-res screen, why
not? More importantly, though, they've put in bar-code scanning, which will
allow you to scan the food containers as you finish them, and will prep a
grocery list.
That little bar-coding feature is the real key to the kingdom. Imagine, you
just scan the ice cream carton before you toss it, and bing! It's on the
list. Same for the rest of the things you eat. Of course you can also input
the new and different comestibles you want from week to week, specials are
naturally interactive with your list. Then let's say you're signed up for
Streamline's grocery delivery service, they'll just download your latest
list - approved by Mom or Dad first, of course - before they deliver your
next set of groceries. Or you can print it out & take it with you to the
store.
For retailers and advertisers, this capability opens up entire worlds.
Large grocery chains already track consumer food purchases through check
and club cards. This creates efficiencies in inventory management,
couponing and more. Tracking consumption right in the home will add levels
of precision previously unimaginable. Advertising and push technologies
could gain a whole new audience and ROI. There's so much potential value
here that subsidizing hardware & upgrades for these appliances might even
make sense.
But here's where we get to the dangerous part. Yes, it would be superbly
convenient to gain this kind of precision in food commerce, on both sides
of the transaction. But let's be real. Of everything that we spend our
hard-earned cash on, food is the single largest expenditure. The kitchen is
the heart of the household, the fridge is at the heart of the kitchen, and
that's where that lion's share of our cash goes. The competition for attention
in this space will be incredibly fierce -- that is, if we
let the advertisers and retailers in at all.
And therein lies the rub. Today your fridge is a target for some pretty
low-end advertising, what gets through is mostly coupons and branded
magnets for your local pizza parlor. With a powerful networked appliance in
the kitchen, demographers and psychographers will go bananas with the new
data. As it is they're extremely savvy, and gaining more refined
controls every day. Once you
add networked databases into the mix, things get rather up close &
personal. They already know what flavors of ice cream sell well in certain
zip codes. I don't know that I'd be too comfy with them knowing when I get
a craving for a late-night snack, and I know I
don't want them to push me an ad for Cherry Vanilla Haagen Dazs at that
very moment.
Of course it's a double-edged sword, and how the pros outweigh the cons is
what will determine whether or not we'll buy WebFridges for our millenial
homes. Software, barcoding and the network could make your fridge pretty
smart. If my fridge could scan its own contents and give me options for
what to make for dinner tonight from the feast of condiments and leftovers inside,
and show me a recipe, it just might all be worth it.
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copyright March, 1999, Jeannine Parker. All rights, etc.
Please send JP your thoughts on this, or anything reasonably relevant that's on your mind.
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Oh, and in case you're curious, the hyperbolic press release that inspired this piece:
http://www.icl.com/news/press/feb99/10feb99b.htm
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