Characteristics of IoT (Internet of Things) | DataTrained .. Kevin Ashton of MIT introduced the Internet of Things term in 1999. And then, LG introduced the first-ever smart fridge to the world in 2000, and 7 years later, the first iPhone was released. We all know that the internet of things is on the rise, and it is predicted that by 2030 there might be 29 billion devices connected to the internet.