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

Broadband’s Growing Role In Connected Health Solutions

According to Parks Associates, about 80 percent of caregivers in U.S. broadband households spend more than an hour a day performing their care-giving tasks. And in recent research Parks did with AARP,...

How Many Consumers Actually Have VR Headsets?

Parks Associates released new consumer research this week showing that 2 percent of U.S. broadband households, or 2.3 million households, own a virtual reality headset. The survey of 10,000 U.S. broad...

Streamer Sales: Roku Stays On Top And Amazon Ties At Second With Google

At the INTX show in Boston this week, OTT services are undoubtedly top-of-mind as service providers consider how to stay on top of all the ways consumers want to access, bundle and buy content. Parks...

What Are The Obstacles To Mass Smart Home Adoption?

Speakers from Comcast, AT&T Digital Life, Schneider Electric, Vivint Smart Home, Rovi and Hewlett-Packard and others participated in Parks Associates annual Connections conference in San Francisco thi...