Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors

The company is still “number one,” said Elizabeth Parks, president of market research firm Parks Associates in Dallas. But it’s a shaky number one. Parks estimates that iRobot had nearly two-thirds of the robot vacuum market in 2018, but now holds only a 48 percent share. Meanwhile, rival robot makers like SharkNinja, Roborock, Eufy, and Ecovacs have been steadily chipping away.

One possible reason, according to Parks, is concern about data privacy. More advanced versions of the Roomba and other robots use visual sensors to generate detailed maps of the user’s home. This information is shared with the manufacturers to develop more advanced products, but it could also potentially be used to monitor users.

From the article, "IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors" by Hiawatha Bray

Previously In The News

Startup Talk: AT&T Joins Verizon With Announcement Of 5G Network Roadmap, Speeds 100x Faster

Dallas-based marketing research firm Parks Associates has released new mobile research showing 86% of U.S. broadband households now own a smartphone. The smartphone markets in European nations, like i...

OTT Video News, Deals, Launches and Products

Some 63% of US broadband households now subscribe to an OTT video service, rising from 57% at the beginning of this year, according to Parks Associates. Parks also updated its rankings for the top OTT...

Providers Fine-tune Their Business Models As A La Carte Streaming Services Proliferate

Those who prefer streaming video-on-demand aren’t shy about sharing passwords. About 6 percent of U.S. broadband households use an over-the-top video service paid by someone living outside of the hous...

Netflix Is King of Paid Streaming, Study Says

Fear about missing out on the next big video audience has spurred programmers like HBO, CBS, Showtime and others to launch their own personal versions of Netflix. But the money generated by their new...