Blog articles from 03/2015

Parks Associates today released new research from its primary consumer study, Emerging Power of IoT in Canada . The study reveals nearly 60% have at least one connected CE, including a smart TV, Blu-ray player, gaming console, connected PVR/DVR, or streaming media device connected to the Internet. Additionally, 5% percent own a smart home device of some kind. Smart home products and services are among the leading interest category among Canadian households. Commenting on the...

  Parks Associates research shows consumers' fears of viruses, data loss, and identity theft are fueling use cases for technical support within the Internet of Things. Over 50% of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners are interested in tech support services that provide protection against loss, theft, or virus/infection. Additionally, 16% of U.S. broadband households own a smart home device and more than one-third of those consumers have experienced a problem with one or more these...

I attended the London Wearable Technology Show last week. According to the event organizer, show floor traffic was up 250% and press coverage increased 60%, compared with last year’s inaugural event. Unlike other mega-events such as CES and Mobile World Congress where wearable was just a prominent track, this London event is dedicated to the wearable industry covering topics such as smart watches, fitness trackers, augmented reality, and smart garments. Exhibitors at the show...

Today's customers want the features that home automation offers. This demand has been fueled by new technology and heavy advertising from companies like Xfinity and Time Warner Cable. Tom Kerber , Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates will be presenting in a Security Systems News webcast "Increase profits by adding home automation services," sponsored by Icontrol Networks, on Thursday, March 26 at 2pm ET. Joined by Greg Roberts, VP, Marketing,...

Today, Parks Associates released industry reports that address the emerging opportunities, partnerships, and strategic recommendations for the connected CE industry. The report Under Attack: Assessing New Threats to Pay TV notes that while consumers watch over 30 hours of video per week on average, the number of households planning to cancel their pay-TV service (potential cord-cutters) has also increased, reaching 7% of U.S. broadband households with pay-TV service. "The...

In a recent article for The Guardian , HBO revealed the scheduled launch of HBO Now, its online streaming-only OTT service, will be April 2015. Apple TV is also reportedly set to be one of the new streaming service's first partners. HBO first announced its plans to launch a streaming-only OTT service in October 2014, sparking intense discussion and analysis throughout the digital media market. Shortly after, Parks Associates research showed that 17% of U.S. broadband...

Today, Parks Associates announced new smartphone and tablet research at Mobile World Congress that reveals that app users regularly use nearly eight apps on their smartphone and nearly seven apps on their tablet. The average user spends 3.3 hours per week using social networking apps on a smartphone, while gaming and music apps score 2.7 and 2.6 hours per week, respectively. Commenting on the data, Parks Associates’ director of health and mobile product research, Harry Wang ,...

Apple will host a “Spring Forward” media event on March 9, 2015 and many industry watchers, including myself, expect the iconic brand to officially introduce its Apple Watch for its fans to pre-order. For almost 6 months, Apple has drummed up marketing about the Watch and the media has been teased with conflicting details from official sources and unofficial “leaks;” by March 9, everything will be in the clear. The most intriguing question that I have is Apple’s marketing...