Blog articles from 05/2019

Today, the smart home is forcing convergence of traditionally separate industries, creating opportunities for partnerships and new ways for consumers to acquire connected solutions in the home. Connectivity enables companies to solve real customer problems using new, more frictionless approaches, and in doing so, opens the door to numerous new business models. Partnerships are often essential to creating new value and monetization strategies. AI is improving user experience(s) that did...

The natural progression in the smart home goes from one device providing singular value to many working in concert to deliver a host of benefits. While individual products are driving innovation and energy efficiency, the greatest value comes when multiple devices are controlled in coordination to maximize energy savings. The ideal smart home experience is one in which a broad range of smart home devices work seamlessly together, providing convenience to the user and enhanced value for...

The ideal smart home experience is one in which a broad range of smart home devices are setup effortlessly and work together seamlessly, providing convenience to the user and enhanced value for all products in the ecosystem. The connectivity, automation, and data sharing derived from integration can create a differentiated user experience. However, the challenge of integrating a broad group of products while maintaining a solid user experience is significant. Consumer devices use a...

Continued investments in start-ups, new technologies, new services, and cutting-edge software will drive the next wave of connected solutions. Startups are targeting every aspect of consumers’ lives from our homes to our vehicles.  Applications vary from safety, security, comfort, convenience, health and wellness. The emergence of AI, blockchain and other new technologies, opens up many new solutions for both horizontal and vertical applications.  These new innovations and...

Typically, the entertainment space and the smart home have evolved in their own silos, each with its own ecosystem, business models, and players. However, in some instances the two worlds do find areas of common purpose and benefit. In particular, there’s a common need for robust networking in the home. Ensuring reliable connectivity and sufficient coverage is critical for both connected entertainment and connected smart home use cases. Parks Associates data finds that loss of network...

It appears the long saga of Disney’s purchase of 21 st Century Fox’s assets has finally reached its final chapter. As a regulatory requirement of the sale, Disney must divest interests in all 22 regional sports networks (RSNs). However, finding a suitable buyer has proved more difficult than the search for Infinity Stones across Disney’s popular Marvel movie franchise. After a bidding process that took nearly a year, Disney appears to have found its end game, with a party willing...

The very connected nature of smart home products and their access to expanded cloud or edge intelligence provides the opportunity for a wide range of services to be attached that can drive recurring monthly revenue (RMR) or additional ad hoc purchases. Service providers from security and home automation to broadband, insurance, energy, and healthcare companies are uniquely positioned to capture value in the smart home era. They have large customer bases with a recurring billing...

Last weekend, the New York Times reported that Apple removed or restricted 11 of the 17 most downloaded apps that help consumers manage the time they spend on devices (screen-time tracking apps) and apps that provide parental control. The removal of these apps comes on the heels of the launch of Apple’s new Screen Time feature, which the company launched as part of iOS 12. Apple’s Screen Time feature has functions similar to the apps that the company removed or restricted from the...