Blog articles from 12/2016

It's no secret—the wearables market isn't doing as well as it should be right now. According to Parks Associates' estimates, the leading smart watch—the Apple Watch—experienced a YoY sales decline of ~53% in Q3 2016. Even with the Q4 release of the Apple Watch Series 2, Apple may be on track for moderate growth in 2016 relative to its 2015 debut. Compare this to Fitbit, the leading fitness tracker: as per Fitbit's SEC filings, its sales grew 21% YoY in the nine months ending October...

New research from Parks Associates shows that among those of child-rearing age, the presence of children at home correlates with higher adoption of health and wellness devices. In general, adoption of wellness/fitness devices is highest among the young, those with high incomes, and those with children living at home. Almost 40% of those ages 18-24 own a wellness/fitness device, compared to 30% of the general population. 41% of households earning $100k or more annually...

The holidays are here, and the winter season has typically served as premium real estate for blockbuster films (secondary only to the summer) and holiday television favorites. Netflix, however, is positioning itself as a stay-in alternative to the box office crowds despite a slate of winter tentpole films. At the box office, films like Harry Potter franchise continuation Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros.), Doctor Strange (Disney/Marvel Studios), Rogue One: A...

With news that Amazon is officially sold out (online) of Echo and Tap products until after the holidays, it looks like the smart speaker with personal assistant technology category has found its legs. Parks Associates forecasts 6 million U.S. sales for the category in 2016, which would double U.S. sales from 2015. Several trends are driving the smart speaker/personal assistant device market. First, consumer familiarity and use with personal assistant software are one the rise,...

Chris Koverman , VP of Product & Engineering, Support.com, provides insight on several key industry trends for Parks Associates’ 11th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit conference , which will be held January 5 at CES 2017 in Las Vegas: What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health? Smart home solutions will need to be brain dead simple...

2016 has been a significant year for virtual reality (VR) headsets. CE manufacturers have developed models for any household budget. Parks Associates finds that in Q3 2016, 3.5% of U.S. broadband households owned one or more virtual reality headsets. This might seem like a small number; however, compared to Q1 2016, this is a significant increase (2.4% in Q1 2016). As the gifting season is here, many tech news sources are putting together lists of the best VR sets from 2016. Prices...

Hoping to be thought of as a gift for video lovers during the holiday season? 12 OTT video services are offering promotions for new subscribers. Below are the 12 Deals of OTT Video Services this holiday season: According to Parks Associates data, 63% of U.S. broadband households subscribed to a video service in 3Q 2016. Of those, 51% subscribed to one of the top 3 OTT services : Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu. Hulu is included in the 12 deals with its "get 3...

Terry Duesterhoeft , President & CEO, A&D Medical, provides insight on several key industry trends for Parks Associates’ 11th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit conference , which will be held January 5 at CES 2017 in Las Vegas: What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health? For consumer engagement to occur in full, there needs to be...