The Internet of Things will impact different people in different ways. A good example comes from the new announcement that Under Armour is teaming with retailer Sports Authority to link together workout activity and customer loyalty.

Just because someone doesn't see any evidence of the Internet of Things around them doesn't mean it isn't happening. This is hardly a new phenomenon, being consistent with other introductions of almost any new major technological innovation.

No matter what anyone thinks about the scope of the Internet of Things, some major companies are placing major bets on its future. The latest in a series of all-in announcements, Salesforce.com today introduced a new platform to help companies make sense of IoT data coming from a wide range of sources.

Even as more wearables become smart, the Apple Watch looks to be the top wrist device for the foreseeable future. Of the top five smart wrist wear operating systems shipped this year, Apple will account for 58% of the market, according to the latest IDC Tracker report on wearable technology.

Connecting things can be a bit more complex than it may appear. The Clapper, a sound-activated electrical switch that lets people turn lights on or off by clapping, has been in the market for more than 25 years. But it obviously wasn't part of the Internet of Things, since it's used without any net connectivity.

Sometimes it pays to be early. This can be especially true when it comes to the use of brand new technology either announced or introduced but not yet deployed. Most of the secret sauce in dealing with such things involves vision and perspective along with execution.

Another day, another brand joins the Internet of Things. We're starting to see many introductions of IoT gadgetry aimed at various aspects of expected future consumer behavior, some of which will take hold and others likely won't.

The IoT gadgets are coming. Whether many consumers will want or buy into some of these technological marvels is yet to be seen. At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin last week, sort of an IoT gadgetry prelude to CES International in Las Vegas in January, at least there were indications of some of the early IoT thinking by major makers of the technology.

Sensors are the source of a much of the juice of the Internet of Things. One of major forms of sensors in the world of retail has been the beacon, that little radio transmitting piece of technology that can trigger various actions in a smartphone that comes near it.

While not all retailers have bought into the idea of implementing Internet of Things technologies, it appears that some of those who have plan to invest pretty heavily. Retailers this year will spend $670 million in hardware and installation costs related to the IoT, according to a new study. Within five years, that number will grow to $2.5 billion that retailers will invest in IoT, according to Juniper Research.