Target Open House

This is how I want to live. Not like I #gaf about 9 out of 10 of these devices, but I just can’t get enough of the translucent plexi /​plasti architecture. It’s like one of those futures that industrial designers & concept sketchers envision which never comes to pass. But I’ll be ready if this does. I’ll add a star if my chip-​embedded basketball score improves next time.

This doesn’t belong in «electronics» — it belongs in «museums»!
The Target Open House really is one of the *great* geeky attractions in San Francisco. We’ve visited the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Exploratorium, the Computer History and Apple HQ, but I think that the Open House may be the place where our kids finally had the aha! moment where they understood their parents’ obsession with technology.
The Open House itself comprises five rooms: a living room, bedroom, kitchen, nursery and garage. The rooms aren’t set up for verisimilitude (or comfort): they’re just a bunch of plexiglass mockups. But that turns out to be an advantage, because it makes it easy to spot the various devices Target has installed — and more crucially, to view the demos projected on screens behind each mockup.
Yes, what you’re looking at is essentially a big, marginally interactive advertisement for a bunch of gadgets that (surprise!) can be purchased in an adjacent showroom. But the displays are very effective in conveying not just how the devices work (something that’s easier to figure out by looking at the device-​by-​device showroom) but how they work together — and what a connected home can actually mean to your lifestyle.
Even though I generally take a more tech, more better approach to life, connected home gadgets are one area where I haven’t invested a lot of time or money. So it was really helpful to see concrete examples of how home gadgets can make your life easier — for example, by adjusting your home temperature to be a little cooler when you’re getting home from a workout, or by putting on the kind of music, lighting and temperature you like when you get home at the end of the day.
I’m sure there are many people who would point out the civilization-​endangering decadence of designing a home that anticipates your needs, reduces the grownup activity of actually making hands-​on adjustments to your environment, and presumably also reduces the level of serendipity in your day-​to-​day life. I get it. But: Self-​feeding pets! Magic thermostats! Mood lighting!
In addition to the gee whiz factor, there really are practical benefits to the showroom experience. The day our Airbnb guests emailed to say our bbq had run out of propane while they were cooking their dinner, I discovered that Target sells a device that tracks your propane tank and alerts you when it’s running low. And after years of vaguely mulling an electronic front door lock, being able to see how it’s actually installed helped me feel a lot more comfortable with the idea — though I’m still going to research options and prices before committing.
This is well worth a stop, whether you’re shopping for devices or not. And even though I loathe the idea of corporatized education, I think this place would actually warrant a school trip!

It’s very hard to describe what Target Open House is and what services they are supposed to provide. Located on the first level of the Metreon in San Francisco, below the fairly new City Target store, Open House’s goal is clearly designed to showcase a variety of smart home devices that we assume can afford (and that require significantly less square footage in a city as modern and tech friendly such as San Francisco). Equal parts retail space, lab, and meeting zone, all of which I suppose is to be dedicated to the concept of the connected home. The whole idea is to demonstrate how the «Internet of Things» can work to create real-​life, in-​home solutions all with furniture all made of a combination of electronics and glowing clear acrylic.
Furthermore this idea of what «Open House» is supposed to mean comes directly from Target’s own perception: «While the space is designed to demystify connected home products and inspire guests to explore the world of connected home living, Target also plans to learn from Open House. Target and its partners will get real-​time feedback from consumers interacting with the products. The space will help make connections for Target and others by regularly hosting meetings — from tech talks and meet-​ups to product demos and product launches.»
I did see a lot of techies come through the door as I wandered around during my ten minute stay. It’s close to the Moscone convention center as well as the Market Street corridor so the location serves as the perfect launching pad for the latest and greatest hi-​tech concepts that are still in the gestation period. It comes across as a high-​end Exploratorium for adults. From what I saw there was a lot going on, with a number of Target employees to show off what they would like for you to experience. From hi-​tech barbecue grills to sports equipment like basketballs and hover-​boards, you name it, they had it for you to look at and touch. But ironically not buy, at least just yet.
Target Open House deserves praise for at least attempting to foster that goal alone and introducing it to the masses before we even come to the realization of what it’s all supposed to mean. And I do miss stores like «The Sharper Image» so this could one day replace the notion of a high-​end tech store with gadgets that seems out of reach until you can actually touch and experience them for yourself. The chances are pretty good this will become quite the happenin’ techie hub in the heart of San Francisco.