Tech giants place emphasis on the Internet of Things

Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo Group, speaks to media during a group interview held on December 17, 2015 at Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. [Liuzheng/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Internet of Things could well be the next El Dorado for the tech industry in China as companies scramble to put everything online, experts said on Thursday.

Yang Yuanqing, chief executive of Lenovo Group, said: "A smart future will demand smart connections. The Internet will move toward creating smart technologies that boost the Internet of Things, like connecting hardware devices with users, data and services."

Fancy mobile gadgets will not suffice in a new smart age that requires perfect connections between them and cloud-based services, Yang said at a forum on the sidelines of the Second World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

Zhou Hongyi, chairman of Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd, has similar views.

"Smartphones are fundamentally shaping our lives by bringing people together. But the Internet of Things will have a much more profound impact."

Everything, such as automobiles, smartwatches and every piece of furniture in people's houses, will be linked to the Internet, which in turn will spur innovation and generate new business models, he said.

"The Internet of Things is like a new kind of language. It will enable everything to 'talk' with us through the Web," Zhou said.

Zhang Yaqin, president of Baidu Inc, said the search giant is already making significant progress in the cutting-edge sector with its self-driving vehicle.

"We successfully completed the test drive of our self-driving car on various roads in Beijing last week. Automobiles are the ultimate mobile devices that will help link consumers to other things," Zhang said, adding the company plans to put its self-driving car on the road within three years.

Liu Qiangdong, CEO of e-commerce site JD.com, said in the future no products can be termed commodities unless they are linked to the Internet.

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