Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Smart Home of the Future Is Here; Why Aren't People Buying In?

What will convince consumers that a connected home is worth the cost and effort? Device makers hope to sell the idea that a connected home is not just safer, but also saves money and is ultra-convenient.

Smart home devices must automate daily mundane tasks so the homeowner doesn't have to worry about them, said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates.

"We're moving to a place where we have proactive home managers, devices that turn off the water and notify you after the fact that you've had a leak, the water's been shut off, can I do anything else for you?" said Stuart Sikes, president of the research firm Parks Associates. "That is a true smart home."

Take Google's Nest Learning Thermostat, for example, which costs $249. Manufacturers claim the gadget saves an average of $131 to $145 a year in heating and cooling bills. But a smart system could add to those savings by telling the blinds on the home's western windows to automatically close at 5 p.m. to block the sun.

From the article "Smart Home of the Future Is Here; Why Aren't People Buying In?" by Benny Evangelista.

Previously In The News

Amazon kicks out streaming devices made by Apple and Google

It is also surprising since, for the last 18 months, Google has had an SDK that enables any developer, including Amazon, make their apps work on Chromecast. So to say that Amazon does not work on the...

Tech Execs: 2016 Will Be 4K’s Year in Live Sports Production

“You shoot a local soccer game with a camera or use your cell to shoot video and then play it on 4K TV,” he said, adding that taking photos in 4K and running them as a slideshow on TV is another prime...

Using Someone Else’s Netflix Password Is Likely to Get Harder

Password sharing costs companies a lot of money. U.S. streaming platforms lost an estimated $2.5 billion in revenue in 2019 because of password sharing, and that amount is expected to increase to $3.5...

It's Not Even Close: Apple, Samsung Smartphone Marketleaders

Apple and Samsung are leaving competitors LG and Motorola in the dust. New research from Parks Associates shows, for example, that LG has dropped to just 9% of consumer-reported brand share, behind Ap...