Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Today's wearables shaping tomorrow's healthcare

The current popularity of consumer-focused connected health devices, whether fitness-tracking wristbands, smart bathroom scales or simply dedicated apps that run on an existing smartphone, is poised to make more consumers proactive about their well-being but is also set to play a huge role in the future of healthcare.

Research by Parks Associates suggests that 30per cent of US broadband homes already own some form of connected health device and that by 2016, over 32 million US consumers will be actively tracking their personal health and fitness -- either online or via a mobile device of some description.

At the same time, the use of wearable devices in the health and medical field, for monitoring vital signs such as insulin levels and blood pressure, is also growing and, according to Harry Wang, Parks Associates director of health and mobile product research, a converge is coming. Writing in the May edition of the research firm's Digital Health News, he states: "the design trends for wearables in the medical field follow what is happening in the fitness area -- they are becoming more discreet, with more user-centric designs and highly integrated functions."

From the article "Today's wearables shaping tomorrow's healthcare."

Previously In The News

Ford and AT&T Hook Up For Free Connected Car Service

Consumers are intrigued but have expressed worries about security and privacy in connected cars and regulators are already on the case. Over half of those surveyed by Parks Associates last year said t...

The Time To Cut The Cord And Switch To Streaming TV Is Now

ESPN will also be coming to Sony’s PlayStation Vue service, available in select markets. Sony’s streaming offering looks more like a traditional cable bundle in that its basic package runs $49.99 and...

HBO Is Replacing Its Cable TV Option In Spain With A New Streaming Service

The initiative is an ambitious play, but it makes sense. Spain has lower cable subscriber rates than the US and a large amount of online piracy. So HBO is sacrificing its licensing revenue to appeal t...

FCC Plan Would Give Consumer Control Of Set-top Box

And cable industry analyst Brett Sappington, of Parks Associates in Dallas, said that companies like Tivo already offer third-party cable set-top boxes, but few consumers purchase them. “Many don’t...