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

Dish’s third-quarter loss of 129,000 customers includes every single subscriber in Puerto Rico

According to market research firm Parks Associates, Sling ranked as the tenth most popular online-TV services, based on subscribers. Last year, Sling ranked sixth. But the drop isn’t because Sling is...

Holiday Stats: Millennials to Buy Smart Home Devices

Parks Associates' holiday shopping research shows that millennials will lead the smart home and CE purchasing the holiday season, with 46 percent reporting high intentions to buy at least one device a...

As it turns a year old, AT&T’s streaming service hits a milestone

The promotions have continued since then. Currently, customers who prepay for four months get a free Apple TV 4K in return. One month of prepay earns customers a Roku streaming stick. And new customer...

Report: Smart Devices Must Solve Everyday Problems, Security Weaknesses

In their Tuesday webinar on advancements in smart home technology, Sean Wargo, senior director of marketing intelligence at AVIXA and Brad Russell, research director, connected home, at Parks Associat...