Reviewed by someone who’s lived through IoT’s rise (and stall).
When I picked up “IoT: The Hype No One Knows About”, I wasn’t expecting to nod this much. Afzal Mangal doesn’t sugarcoat. He doesn’t talk in frameworks or throw charts at you. He does something rarer—he tells the truth.
As someone who’s been neck-deep in the IoT world for years, I’ve heard the same speeches: “IoT will change everything.” And yet… here we are—still waiting, still stuck in pilot purgatory, still explaining to clients what IoT even means.
That’s why this book hits home.
What I Appreciated:
1. It Felt Like a Wake-Up Call, Not a Sales Pitch
Mangal speaks like a frustrated insider who’s done the projects, sat in the meetings, and watched good ideas die quietly because no one wanted to take the risk. He’s not ranting; he’s diagnosing.
2. He Understands That Tech Isn’t the Problem—People Are
Many books dive into technical complexity. This one stays laser-focused on why things don’t stick—lack of champions, resistance to change, poor storytelling, and a surprising truth: most people don’t even know what IoT is. That hit me. We often assume “awareness” is already there. It’s not.
3. The Comparison with AI Was Brutal—But Fair
AI gets the attention. The glory. The funding. Why? Because it built a community. Because it marketed itself as the next big thing. Meanwhile, IoT stayed quiet, buried under acronyms and technical decks. He’s right—we didn’t play the game.
4. The Practical Suggestions Were Refreshing
The 70 actions at the end weren’t just “be agile” or “disrupt the market.” They were real: change your pitch, sell smaller, build brand awareness, educate the masses, call it IoT. As someone who’s written pitch decks, tried to close deals, and built platforms, I underlined those pages.
What Fell Short (But Maybe That’s the Point):
It’s not a deep dive into technical architecture, protocols, or implementation best practices. But that’s intentional. This book isn’t for engineers—it’s for those trying to bring IoT to life in the real world. You’ll be disappointed if you’re looking for diagrams and code snippets.
There were moments when the tone bordered on cynical, but after reading the stories, I understood. This book comes from the scars of doing real work and watching promising ideas stall. It’s not cynical—it’s honest.
My Final Thoughts
This is not a feel-good book. It’s a necessary one. I wish more founders, product managers, and especially marketers in the IoT space would read it. It’s time we stopped hiding behind whitepapers and buzzwords and started building awareness, as if we wanted IoT to succeed.
Mangal reminded me that if we want the world to believe in IoT, we need to step outside our bubble, talk to people, use simpler language, celebrate wins loudly, and maybe, just maybe, stop acting like the tech will sell itself.
Because it won’t.
And this book finally says what many of us in the industry have been thinking—but weren’t brave enough to admit.
Rating: 4.7 / 5
A must-read for those tired of IoT “talk” and looking actually to move the needle.
Reviewed by:
Dr. Mazlan is the CEO and co-founder of FAVORIOT Sdn Bhd, an IoT company. He is a recognised thought leader in the IoT industry, having been listed as a top 50 influencer by several organisations.
He has extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, including as CEO of REDtone IOT, senior director at MIMOS Berhad, and various senior management positions at CELCOM. Dr. Mazlan has also worked as an adjunct professor at several universities in Malaysia.
He holds a BEE from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, an MSc in Telematics from the University of Essex, and a PhD in Telecommunications from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
He is a frequent speaker at IoT, IR 4.0, Smart Cities, and telco conferences and serves on the Industry Advisory Panel for several universities. He is also a TEDx Speaker and has received an Honorary Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from UTHM.
He is currently serving as the Deputy Chairman of the Malaysia IoT Association for the 2024–2026 term.
Leave a Reply