If the term "Internet of Things" championed by companies like IBM sounds ever so slightly too subtle and vague, make no mistake, the way we live is changing fundamentally.
The term for it which is gaining popularity is "smart". As one news editor many years ago said to me "work smarter, not harder". And that home truth is as much relevant in our homes as it was in a high-pressure newsroom.
Smart homes, smart buildings, smart cars, have one key component in common. They are all connected, always-on, via the Internet.
While companies like IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Korea's Samsung have led the crusade to make us control our domestic boiler using a smartphone app, turn on and off lights while reading our text messages, or open our car door with a keyless app from a mobile phone or tablet, it was never going to take an eternity for Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) to get in on the act.
Google is now aggressively doubling down on smart home devices and artificial intelligence technologies.
In May Google announced plans for Google Home - the Internet-enabled digital assistant.
It seems to many like an Apple-inspired Siri or a Windows' Cortana, actually the new device is physical albeit perhaps not as big a deal as some analysts had expected.
In fact, some say Google Home may be a revamped version of the Chromecast web-based TV streaming product which has been relatively successful for the company since 2014.
The personal assistant can connect to Wi-Fi and through voice-based interactions, answer various queries using Google search. By recognising hands-free voice commands like “okay Google”, Google Home can perform several tasks, like managing the user’s everyday tasks, as well as music-playing and entertainment-related functionality.
If rumours of a Chromecast revamp are true, it would be good news for Google shareholders. For one thing, it avoids the upheaval and bugs often associated with an ambitious operating system upgrade and the resultant clean-up operation as the company suffers the wrath of reviewers.
Secondly, it means a cheap and hopefully cheerful leg up for the new hardware which feeds into good economy for the company and its shareholders.
That all translates into a cheap infiltration for the product into our lives as production costs and distribution would be cost-effective.
So who is Google Home up against? Well, its nearest obvious competitor would be Samsung, on the basis that the Android-deep company has shared a lot in Google's and Android's success. Samsung has the Smart Hub, but this is not as sophisticated as Google Home just might be.
But the real competitors are Amazon Echo (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is apparently working on a smart device too.
The life-changing Smart Revolution is still at the stage of preparation and organisation, but when it comes it sure will be televised .
Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares closed down 0.05% at $748.46 on Wednesday, while IBM was down 0.8% at $152.51.