Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Microsoft Entices Holiday Shoppers With 250 Vista-Ready Product,

TechWeb"There's no precedent in my mind," Harry Wang, research analyst for Parks Associates said.

The closest comparison would be the TV industry, Harry Wang said. Manufacturers selling analog sets today are telling consumers that government coupons will be available in 2008 to help pay for converters that will make it possible for the TVs to receive digital signals. Starting Feb. 17, 2009, TV networks will be required to broadcast only digital programming.

"The PC purchase is more dependent on how badly they need to upgrade their existing one," Harry Wang said.

Other experts are equally skeptical whether there's much Microsoft can do now to drive Vista sales later. Gartner, for example, said offering Vista coupons is unlikely to boost sales because of the cost of upgrading an XP PC. Besides the additional $49 and $79 consumers would reportedly pay for Vista Home Basic and Home Premium, respectively, there's also the cost of having a retailer or reseller install the new OS.

Wang agrees. "Price will be an important factor."

From the article "Microsoft Entices Holiday Shoppers With 250 Vista-Ready Product," by Antone Gonsalves.

Previously In The News

After Uber's stumble, is it Lyft and Sidecar's time to shine?

Parks Associates analyst Tejas Mehta agrees the bad press won't change much unless Lyft and Sidecar add more investors and find a new way to stand out. "Lyft has been competing with Uber on pri...

Roku still tops as sales of streaming-media players rise

Streaming-media devices continue to grow in popularity amid swiftly shifting competition, according to a new report. During the first three quarters of 2014, 10 percent of US households with a...

Apple TV's YouTube app gets a rare overhaul

Meanwhile, over-the-top boxes like Apple TV are surging in popularity. Research group Parks Associates estimates sales of such streaming-media devices will top 57 million worldwide in 2018, nearly...

Uber homes in on safety initiatives amid concerns

While Uber is forging ahead with its initiatives, tangible safety improvements may take time, said Parks Associates research analyst Tejas Mehta. "Uber's new safety initiatives are an acknowled...