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

The Smart Money: 5 CES Smart Home Takeaways

The 20th annual CONNECTIONS Summit at CES, hosted by Parks Associates, featured panel discussions that examined the most impactful dynamics shaping the connected home, including AI advancements, the s...

One nation, on camera: Internet-connected doorbells promise security but raise privacy alarms

Once a futuristic luxury, internet-connected home cameras have become reasonably common — and relatively cheap. Around 33 million American households — 27% — now use the cameras, according to an e...

4 ways digital platforms are reshaping entertainment access in 2026

According to TV Technology’s summary of Parks Associates data, 91% of U.S. internet households had at least one streaming service last year, while traditional pay‑TV reached just 41%. Nearly six subsc...

Social Platforms Are Moving Onto TV Screens—Industry Experts Explain Why

The shift is already underway. Social video is now the second-most-watched video type on TVs, according to research from Parks Associates. Jennifer Kent, SVP and principal analyst at Parks Associat...