Tech Times

Who knows? Maybe the Apple TV has appeal. But the numbers show otherwise. According to new data from research firm Parks Associates, 37 percent of all streaming devices in the United States were made by Roku. Amazon's Fire TV sticks came in second place, at 24 percent. Google enjoys 18 percent with its Chromecast devices, and down the heap is Apple with just 15 percent, down three points from last year in the same quarter.

"Higher-priced devices, such as the Apple TV, have n ...read more

According to a Parks Associates report, Roku was the leading video streaming device in the U.S. followed by Chromecast and Apple TV in 2014.

"The research finds Roku is still the leading brand with 29% of sales, but Google Chromecast (20%) has supplanted Apple TV (17%) in second place," said the report.

From the article "Google Chromecast Bests Apple TV In Sales, Researcher Says" by Sumit Passary.

Survey results published on May 10 by the Chamberlain Group and Parks Associates found that the garage door opener is the most active and frequently-used smart home device (48 percent). Smart door locks (44 percent) and network security cameras (42 percent) came in second and third place, respectively. 

From the article "Report: Garage Door Openers Are The Most Frequently-Used Smart Home Devices" by Krystle Vermes.

The report states that the top four manufacturers account for a total of 86 percent of sales on these devices. This market saturation by the big players means there are significant obstacles for newer competitors, who will have to distinguish themselves with new functionalities.

As Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates noted in the report:

"The market consolidation around these four brands forces new entrants to develop more creative features and functi ...read more

Industry analysts are banking that consumers want just that opportunity, with one expecting 30 million Watch buyers when the wearable goes on sale April 24. That represents about 10 percent of current iPhone users. Research firm Strategy Analytics is not so bullish, projecting Apple will sell 15 million Watches before the end of the year; yet capture 55 percent of the global wearable market this year.

Parks Associates is a bit more optimistic than Strategy Analytics in predi ...read more

Apple's share of the market for streaming hardware fell from 26 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in 2014, according to a recent report from Parks Associates. Meanwhile, Google's Chromecast appeared for the first time in the top five with a 20 percent slice of the market and Amazon, with its 10 percent share, also broke into the top of the field.

About half of the video U.S. households consume is in nonlinear format, a figure that's up from around 38 percent in 2010, states Barb ...read more

Not even present in the top five last year, Google's Chromecast has climbed into the number two spot and crept up on Roku in the market for streaming media devices, according to new reports.

Roku still has a firm lead in the market for streaming devices, though both Roku and Apple have seen a good chunck of their collective market share consumed by Google and Amazon, according to Parks Associates' latest data on streaming media hardware.

Roku's roughly 46 percent share o ...read more

"Smart home packages currently hold broad appeal among U.S. consumers, and last week, Parks Associates announced nearly 4 percent of U.S. households will have a smart home controller by the end of 2014, with an estimated increase to nearly 6 percent by 2015," said Patrice Samuels, a research analyst at Parks Associates. "Support providers must be equipped to handle the growing demand for on-boarding and ongoing enablement services to ensure that consumers have optimal experience ...read more