Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Smart thermostats are tough sell, but ComEd hopes rebates boost interest

A study released this month by Parks Associates found only 18 percent of consumers would buy a smart thermostat at $250, but offering a $100 rebate more than doubled the pool of interested buyers.

"The market for smart thermostats is still in the early adopter phase," said Tom Kerber, director of internet of things strategy for Parks Associates, a Texas-based consumer technology research and consulting company. "To move beyond early adopters, they have to offer products at a lower price point."

Kerber said prices for the first-generation smart thermostats started at about $400 but have dropped to about $250 for Nest and other leading products. He said breaking through the $150 price point opens it up to a broader market.

From the article "Smart thermostats are tough sell, but ComEd hopes rebates boost interest" by Robert Channick.

Previously In The News

US Pay-TV Dips As Antenna-Only TV Services Rise To 15% Of Broadband Households

In its latest round-up of the strength of cord-cutting in the country, 360 View: Entertainment Services in US Broadband Households, Parks found that antenna-only usage has steadily increased since 201...

Apple May Be Prepping Siri for Smart Home Duty

Entry into the smart speaker market makes sense for a company with smart home aspirations. "As the success of Echo and Google Home took off, everyone expected Apple to follow suit," said Brad Russe...

Roku cuts price on top streaming player to counter Apple TV

Although it is much smaller than its rivals, Roku is the leading seller of video streaming players in the U.S. with a 37 percent share of the market, according to the research firm Park Associates....

E-Sports Pioneers Are Making It Up as They Go

Another reason e-sports has strong growth potential is that, unlike many other sports, whose fans may only be spectators, e-sports attracts video gamers, many of whom could become e-sports competitors...