The Internet already dominates every aspect of our work and social life. So what’s next for the Internet?
互联网已占据我们工作与社交生活的方方面面。那么，接下来的互联网还会发生什么呢？
You may have already heard about the so-called “Internet of Things”. It has received a lot of hype recently with several tech-oriented media outlets hailing 2014 as the year of the Internet of Things.
你可能对所谓的“物联网”已早有耳闻。近来，物联网被炒得火热，一些科技媒体更是高调宣称2014年将是“物联网之年”。
The Internet connects us to our devices, enabling us to upload data. In the Internet of Things, however, data is transferred over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. It’s communication between two devices, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.
互联网使我们与设备连接进而能够上传数据。但在物联网中，数据无需通过人人或人机交互便可通过网络传输。物联网是两台设备间也就是机对机通信。
The concept has evolved from the convergence of wireless technology and micro-electromechanical systems. A thing, in the Internet of Things, can be a person with a heart monitor implant or a runner wearing a device that measures the distance and heart rate. It can also be a car that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when the tire pressure is low.
物联网这一概念由无线技术和微机电系统相互融合发展而来。物联网中的“物”可以是使用植入心脏监测器的人，也可以是佩戴测量距离与心率设备的跑步者。它还可以是装有内置传感器的汽车，一旦胎压不足，传感器就会向驾驶员发出警报。
Here is a simple explanation offered by The Atlantic: “Companies can put chips in inanimate objects — cars, thermostats, refrigerators, light bulbs — that allow those objects to be connected to the Internet and controlled remotely.” Products built with M2M communication features are often referred to as being “smart”.
而《大西洋报》则给出了一个较为简单的解释：“公司把芯片置入汽车、恒温器、冰箱或灯泡这样的无生命物体中，使这些物体与互联网相连，从而实现远程操控。”具备有机对机通信特性的产品常常被称为“智能”产品。
At the beginning of the Internet age, we had to use a mouse to navigate a website when we interacted with our devices. But the Internet of Things replaces these Internet-related actions. Our smartphones already have the ability to gather information without our awareness. The next step is to make our smartphones even smarter by having them remote-control our air conditioners, lighting systems, or home security without us giving any commands.
互联网时代初期，人机互动时，我们必须使用鼠标来浏览网站。而物联网则取代了这些互联网的相关操作。我们的智能手机已具有自动收集信息的功能。下一步就是让我们的智能手机变得更智能，不给任何指令，便可以通过它们来远程控制空调、照明以及住宅安保系统。
In fact, such technology is already a reality. We already have smart lightbulbs and smart fridges. But until recently, explains an article on Quartz.com, connecting a device to the Internet of Things was expensive and difficult. Smart thermostats, lighting systems and appliances from manufacturers like Samsung and GE communicated through wireless standards that required installing specialized wireless hubs.
事实上，这样的科技已经变成了现实。我们已经发明出智能灯泡和智能冰箱。但前不久，美国财经网站Quartz在一篇文章中指出，设备与物联网的连接成本高且难度大。像三星和通用电气等制造商生产出来的智能恒温器、照明系统及家电都需要通过无线标准来实现连接，而这就需要安装专门的无线网。
In 2014 we will see a breakthrough of the Internet of Things, says the Quartz article. That’s because in the past year or so, tech companies have created inexpensive, power-efficient chips that enable pretty much anything to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, or to a mobile phone via a standard called Bluetooth Low Energy.
Quartz在该篇文章中表示，2014年将会是物联网突破性的一年。这是因为在过去一年中，科技公司研发出了便宜又节能的芯片，几乎任何物体都可以通过无线局域网与互联网连接，或者通过所谓“低功耗蓝牙”标准与手机相连。
Giant technology corporations are looking to cash in on this next big thing. The marketing language about the Internet of Things reflects their desire to dominate it. Cisco calls it the Internet of Everything, while at GE it’s the Industrial Internet. Other companies call it the Internet of Customers or the Internet of Nouns.
科技巨头们正跃跃欲试，希望在物联网这个明日之星身上大赚一笔。这些公司在宣传物联网时所使用的营销语言就反映出他们抢占该市场的欲望。思科公司把物联网称为“万物互联”，通用电气则称之为“工业互联网”。另外一些公司则称它为“客联网”或“名词互联网”。
Whatever it’s called, you’ll be hearing a lot about the Internet of Things in 2014.
不管称谓如何，2014年你将不断听到有关物联网的话题。
