Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors

The company is still “number one,” said Elizabeth Parks, president of market research firm Parks Associates in Dallas. But it’s a shaky number one. Parks estimates that iRobot had nearly two-thirds of the robot vacuum market in 2018, but now holds only a 48 percent share. Meanwhile, rival robot makers like SharkNinja, Roborock, Eufy, and Ecovacs have been steadily chipping away.

One possible reason, according to Parks, is concern about data privacy. More advanced versions of the Roomba and other robots use visual sensors to generate detailed maps of the user’s home. This information is shared with the manufacturers to develop more advanced products, but it could also potentially be used to monitor users.

From the article, "IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors" by Hiawatha Bray

Previously In The News

Why Disney, Paramount, and Peacock’s Money Troubles Are Good For You

“In these distribution partnerships, the service benefits from having a greater content library without incurring production costs,” said Eric Sorensen, who runs the streaming video tracker for resear...

Warner Bros. and Paramount might merge. What's it going to cost you to keep streaming?

“It’s a challenging time for service providers to make the money work,” said Elizabeth Parks, president of Parks Associates. “It makes sense that there will be a lot of consolidation in the market. We...

More People Are Considering Buying an Antenna To Watch News, Sports, TV Shows, and Movies

Twenty percent of U.S. internet households own a TV antenna, according to research firm Parks Associates’ ATSC 3.0: Impact and Opportunity for Video Services industry report. It also found that 12% mo...

Judgment Day Is Coming For Streaming Services Not Named Netflix Or Amazon

While consolidation might seem obvious given the challenges in the market, it will likely take longer than most people think, Parks Associates analyst Eric Sorensen told IBD. That's because of a host...