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

A new frenemy: Apple is going Hollywood. But it’s been a bumpy ride.

Amazon and Roku both have greater distribution in the U.S. than Apple TV. According to a Parks Associates report from last May, Roku has a 37 percent market share in the U.S., followed by Amazon Fire...

New study finds 75% increase in zero net energy homes

A new study conducted by Parks Associates indicates a 75% increase in the construction of zero net energy homes between 2016 and 2017. The growth is a result of an increase in consumer demand for s...

Sling TV: How Many Subscribers Does It Have?

Parks Associates thinks so. The research group this week issued a study showing that Sling has surpassed the one million subscriber mark, becoming the nation's sixth leading subscription streaming ser...

Self-Driving Cars Could Be $20 Billion Boon to Hollywood

In January, Jennifer Kent, connected car analyst for Parks Associates, said we may also be nearing connectivity in cars that would support video streaming. She projected it would take three to five ye...