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

The Multiple OTT Service Explosion

OTT video is firmly established in the U.S. entertainment marketplace, and new research from Parks Associates only puts an exclamation point on the new reality of how Americans consume video entertain...

Antenna Users: Rescan to Keep Getting Free TV

If you're just getting started with free, over-the-air TV, you're in good company. Even many consumers who have switched to streaming video services, such as DirecTV Now or Sling TV, use an antenna fo...

HDTV Antenna Review: Top Picks From CR's Latest Tests

Market research firm Parks Associates says that one-fifth of U.S. homes with broadband access now use an antenna to get live TV. “Digital antennas are experiencing a resurgence as consumers consider o...

Roku's New $30 Express Box Is The Cheapest Roku Yet

The lower end of the streaming video market is one of the fastest growing segments for the company, Roku says, both in its line of relatively inexpensive Roku TVs and its separate streaming media devi...