Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

One Bot To Rule Them All? Not Likely, With Apple, Google, Amazon And Microsoft Virtual Assistants

In order for a virtual helpmate to run your life, it needs to engage with the providers of all the services you rely on, from your calendar app to your Uber ride. Those providers must either partner with the company operating the assistant, or design their app to integrate with the assistant. So Spotify will stream music upon request via Alexa, and Honeywell's smart-home thermostat, via Assistant, will bump up the temperature 15 minutes before Grandma's expected arrival.

For providers, "if there is a competitive advantage to be gained, then absolutely they will do it," said Brett Sappington, senior director of research at market research firm Parks Associates.

From the article "One Bot To Rule Them All? Not Likely, With Apple, Google, Amazon And Microsoft Virtual Assistants" by Ethan Baron.

Previously In The News

This Company Wants To Secure Your Home With Phones And Drones

The market research firm Parks Associates estimates that as many as 16 million North American households will have smart-home security by 2021, compared with 10 million forecast for traditional securi...

Amazon, Google, Wal-Mart Fight For Your Smart Home

The hottest smart-home purchase this holiday season is likely to be a smart video doorbell. As many as 14% of U.S. households with broadband access say they're pretty likely to buy the device that...

Password Sharing: Charter, ESPN, Viacom Lead Crackdown On Giving Friends, Family Passwords

According to an analysis produced by Parks Associates, about one-third of internet users stream cable TV by using the login credentials of someone they don’t live with. The firm estimated that passwor...

How Many Streaming Video Choices Are Too Many With Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney — And More?

Consumers who dreamed of the a-la-carte TV future might soon wish for a return to the good old days when cable and other pay-TV services packaged channels of programming for them. "We're about to t...