Register

I agree with the Privacy Policy

In The News

IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors

February 01, 2024

home automation

The Boston Globe

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

With 1 Gbps speeds, Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless service will leapfrog the competition

And speeds appear to matter. Parks Associates reported way back in 2015 that fully one quarter of Americans who switched to a new ISP "did so in order to obtain a faster service at a comparable price....

AT&T kills Plenti loyalty program but touts ongoing Thanks campaign

Parks Associates reported last year that 60% of respondents in a survey valued a rewards program for being a loyal customers, third only to the ability to roll over unused data (66%) and free access t...

Cord-Cutting On The Rise In The US

“Pay TV subscriptions have dropped each year since 2014, falling to 81% of US broadband households in Q3 2016,” said Brett Sappington, senior director of research, Parks Associates. “Several factor...

AT&T gooses $45 prepaid plan with cheaper iPhones

And, as a recent report from Parks Associates noted, consumers are increasingly drawn to the simplified pricing offers in prepaid. The firm said that “currently postpaid carriers are starting to explo...

‹
1
2
...
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
...
730
731
›