Make no bones about it: Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc. (GOOG) will continue to fight it out in many markets. From smartphones to tablets, from operating systems to wearable devices, these two companies are at the center of some of the biggest battles in the tech industry.

Now is the time to look toward the future. Now is the time to focus on the fact that a typical family home, according to Gartner, “could contain more than 500 smart devices by 2022.”

Take a closer look at that — more than 500 smart devices. That is quite a bit of technology. Furthermore, the research firm feels that “The Internet of Things”, as it’s commonly called, could become a force in the market by 2022, which is only eight years out.

Big Opportunities in Smart Homes

Which company — AAPL, GOOG, or another — is going to take control of the smart home market and become the dominant force? The growth potential is there, and both companies have shown the ability to give consumers what they want. But this is a whole new ballgame.

Both companies have some time to figure things out, but with each passing year homes across the world are becoming “smarter.” Here is an excerpt from the Gartner report to chew on:

“The number of smart objects in the average home will grow slowly for at least a decade because many large domestic appliances are replaced infrequently. However, although a mature smart home won’t exist until the 2020 to 2025 time frame, smart domestic products are already being manufactured and the first digital business opportunities they enable have already emerged.”

Yes. They. Have. For example, Google has the Nest Learning Thermostat in its lineup, thanks to a $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest Labs earlier this year.

The smart home market is primed to reach new heights over the next 10 years, with AAPL, GOOG, and others beginning to look toward the horizon, wondering what it will take to be the go-to company in this space.

As of this writing, Chris Bibey did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.