ActionTech

Parks Associates released new findings recently that show tiered data plans being sold by carriers such as AT&T and Verizon are not yet affecting consumer app use. The study, “Primary Data Digest: Consumer Apps 1H12,” which surveyed U.S. broadband households in the third quarter of 2012, found that smartphone owners on tiered data plans have downloaded an average of 17 apps since purchasing their phones and use seven apps on average per month. The research also noted that smartp ...read more

What are the advantages consumers see in Netflix over pay-TV VOD and premium broadcast TV? Low cost and flexibility, says Parks Associates in a new study covering consumer video viewing. Titled “Choosing Content: Viewing Video,” the report found that the Watch Instantly service from Netflix rated higher in customer satisfaction than premium broadcast TV because of those aforementioned factors, and topped pay-TV VOD in terms of cost. Watch Instantly may also play a part in cannib ...read more

The obstacles presented by mobile operators as they shift from unlimited usage plans for mobile users to tiered data plans are daunting, according to Parks Associates latest, “Mobile Data and Applications: Market Update.” Among the problems they face is that two-thirds of U.S. consumers who plan to purchase a smartphone are unwilling to pay more than $50 per month for their data plans, are extremely price-sensitive, and will complain if they find any hint of their mobile provide ...read more

With the holiday season upon us, Parks Associates has unveiled an appropriate report, titled “Consumer Decision Process: Holiday Intentions.” The most interesting facet of the report is in regards to the consumer reaction to the newly-released Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon: among all households who say they intend to buy a consumer electronics product, 51% would choose the $199 Fire, while 49% opt for the $499 iPad 2. When demographics are broken out, however, things change. Ol ...read more