Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

The Market For Hearable Devices 2016-2020 – And Then There Were Airpods…

The hearables market goes back to the first Bluetooth headsets which were launched in 2001, followed by wireless stereo headphones, which arrived a few years later. Neither made great waves in the market – headsets were associated with cabbies rather than celebrities and Bluetooth stereo headphones took almost a decade to attain any market share. In 2013, that started to change. Major brands were taken by surprise as consumers started to purchase wireless headphones. The most credible reason I’ve heard for the change is that it was driven by the growth of mobile video on larger handsets, with users preferring to dispense with the annoyance of cables when holding the phone screen horizontally. That’s supported by research from Parks Associates showing the average US smartphone user stream music or video for 90 minutes each day. Whatever the reason for the sudden popularity, there is no question that they are now fashionable.

From the article "The Market For Hearable Devices 2016-2020 – And Then There Were Airpods…" by Nick Hunn.

Previously In The News

Generative AI: Growth Surge Meets Trust Issues

Generative AI's infiltrated 58% of US internet households as of February 2026, according to Parks Associates. Parks' survey revealed only 16% of these households forked out cash for a paid AI appli...

Will a Smart Toilet Turn the Home Into a Diagnostic Center?

One of the hot products showcased at the recent Consumer Electronic Show (CES) was the smart toilet. In its analyst report on CES highlights, research firm Parks Associates wrote, “Smart toilets are e...

ADT’s $105 Million Bet on Ambient AI: Why the Security Giant Is Buying Technology That Can Sense People Through Walls

According to a 2024 Parks Associates survey, 42% of U.S. broadband households expressed concern about privacy when considering indoor security cameras, while only 18% had similar concerns about non-vi...

T-Mobile Brings Back Free MLB.TV Access for Customers

Sports rights are a proven retention tool: live games drive habitual viewing and reduce the urge to churn. Analysts at Deloitte and Parks Associates have repeatedly pointed to sports as a core lever f...