Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

AI and smart homes: We may not notice the future

Security experts have always known that potential end users are not always ready for what is available to make their homes more secure. That dynamic often emerges from discomfort with what is new and unknown. Brad Russell, a research analyst at Parks Associates, based in Addison, Texas, describes that discomfort as “friction”—and he suggests that it has been around longer than we realize. Parks Associates is a market research company specializing in emerging consumer technology.

“New technology always comes with friction,” said Russell. From his perspective, however, the security industry has seen “a reduction in friction between technology and usage.”

The gap closes, he said, “If I can just call [my device] rather than use three or four buttons … now you’ve got the ‘wow and delight’ factor. It sounds cliché but it’s true—fun, easy, convenient.”

From the article "AI and smart homes: We may not notice the future" by Kenneth Z. Chutchian.
 

Previously In The News

PayPal’s Popular But Apple Is The Class Favorite

PayPal is the number one mobile payment app in the U.S., according to research by Parks Associates and by quite a margin. NFC World reported that 12 percent of those polled prefer PayPal while retail-...

Why Cell Phone Service From Your Cable Company May Make Sense

"Plans from Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile are generally much less expensive than comparable plans from the major mobile brands," says Kristen Hanich, senior analyst at the market research firm Pa...

What Amazon Buying Eero Could Mean for Consumers

For consumers, Amazon owning Eero could make it easier to set up and manage the wide range of wireless devices in their homes. “A number of companies have been trying to address a very real pain po...

Video Entertainment Spending Drops in the US

According to the research firm, there has also been a decline in multiplatform usage among households, as use rates on individual screens declined despite the fact that overall video viewing has held...