Second article in a short while that praises Ikea's implementation. In the face of the security disaster that IoT devices usually represent, I'm somewhat dumbfounded by the idea that it would be Ikea, of all companies, to break the mould.
Meanwhile, my aunt has an Ikea Lack coffee table sitting in the basement of her shop holding up a 50lb Dell PowerEdge 1950 and it will still let me drop more on it without complaint.
Ikea products may be cheaper than others in certain situations, but quite honestly I trust them a whole lot more.
I couldn't find the wood option.
Walmart has some pretty decent mdf tables for about the same price as similar ikea tables. Sometimes their construction is really good, too, such as this table[1]. It brings the posts in closer to center which distributes load better and increases load rating for the beam, and the post supports both the beam and the strut, and the strut helps reinforce the beam. Everything is brought in farther from the edge to make the effective load-bearing part of the beam smaller, which makes it stronger.
Their dressers are total shit, though, unless you pay a pretty penny for real wood.
[1] https://www.walmart.com/ip/17767350?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22...
Because the top skin only has to resist compression and the bottom only tension, you can choose materials that will perform each of these best. The top can be really thin, while the bottom can be thicker, and the result will be a slightly stronger table than if both skins were a thickness in between. The length of the web will also directly affect the strength (part of why those table tops are so thick... to have longer webs)
In fact, you can build "torsion beams" that work like long torsion boxes, but instead as beams. A 6-foot long beam might weigh only 20lbs. Sit them on sawhorses and you now have a stowable assembly table. Another benefit to torsion beams is they are easier to construct straight because finding small members that are straight is easier than finding big thick straight members. (Uh.... let's ignore the obvious jokes here)
The downside to all this strength-hackery is, if one of the webs fail, structural integrity is gone. So don't land anything too heavy on a single spot.
They'll be making plenty of money on the margins on the lamps and gateways as is.
Nice to seem them align with standards though, because they seem to have their own standards for curtains. Very upsetting :)
But it's nice to think that it could also be due to genuine technical ability.
And while I doubt their morals (corporations rarely have any) I generally have faith in their quality-to-price ratio. Not a resounding endorsement, just have had few problems.
It is fascinating though, they take a lot of things to extremes.
They do have a set of cheap table serrated-edge steak knives (SNITTA - set of 4 for $5) that are actually quite nice when you look at them closely; stainless steel with a tang that goes completely down the handle.
Not sure what the handle is made out of, but its solidly attached, and the set my wife and I bought has lasted almost a decade going thru the dishwasher and such, and still look nearly brand new. They say they can be used as a utility knife; they'd probably cut cardboard well, maybe other stuff, but I prefer other tools for that kind of thing.
I actually like them better than a set I have that are identical to the large steak knives they put out (or did at one time) at the Outback Steakhouse restaurant (not saying anything about the food - I just liked the knives).
Some day I'm going to pick up a set of Knork knives (I already love their namesake utensils), but I bet I still might like the Ikea set better.
I want one of those so bad, to the point where I've considered building one from scratch. I doubt we'll ever see one of them stateside, though, because they look like a deathtrap in an accident.
Though I wonder if, as a "kit car" put together by the owner and not sold as a complete vehicle, they couldn't be legally registered and driven as an "experimental" vehicle (which is what I would have to get if I self-built one)?
apple can definitely execute, though. it just has to execute the right thing.
Has it been generally well received security-wise then?
Not a good solution in general.
Makes me curious about how that homebridge node thing makes it work.
Cynics will say it's a money grab, proponents will say it greatly reduces or eliminates the risk of buying something that will not work right. Apple sells itself on the ability of their things working right out of the box.
IIRC, it's been shown that a massive percentage of the Apple chargers for sale on Amazon are difficult to spot counterfeits. Some of those use dangerous electronic designs.