Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

The Apple Watch Has Gotten Simpler, But That’s OK

Apple’s decision to simplify the watch speaks to a larger issue facing makers of wearables: Advanced biotracking sensors would have made the Apple Watch less of a multipurpose consumer device and more of a medical device used to diagnose diseases or track chronic conditions — which could have opened the watch up to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“I don’t think Apple wants to be a health-monitoring device maker,” said Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research at Parks Associates. “They do want to leverage their popularity on the iPhone as a device platform, integrating all health data that can be collected for different devices.”

That information is being gathered through Apple’s new Health app, a dashboard of users’ health data, and HealthKit, a developer tool that lets wellness apps share data. The watch could be populated with messages from external devices and services that track specialized health information.

From the article "The Apple Watch Has Gotten Simpler, But That’s OK" by Stephanie M. Lee.

Previously In The News

Nest announces new hardware products in answer to critics

Tom Kerber, a director overseeing Internet-of-things strategy for Parks Associates, said sales for video doorbells have grown dramatically in recent years because of the popularity of online shopping....

Could a Button for Improved AI on Galaxy S8 Help Samsung Move Past Its Recent Stumble?

Advanced voice control technology is a growing good bet, especially when it comes to consumers on the younger end of the demographic spectrum. Millennials show particular comfort with voice control of...

Fitbit Buys Smartwatch Pioneer Pebble Amid Wearables Shakeup

The smartwatch market has also slumped. Apple Watch sales are down this year, and Lenovo’s Motorola brand has dropped out of the market. Most people simply aren’t finding reasons to buy them: Smartwat...

Nest selling cheaper Internet-connected thermostat to reach masses

Tom Kerber of the research and consulting firm Parks Associates said the cheaper thermostat could persuade more shoppers to try Nest. Just 11 percent of American households with broadband Internet hav...