Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'

Monitoring devices for the elderly started with products like privately-held Life Alert, which leapt into public awareness nearly 30 years ago with TV ads showing the elderly “Mrs. Fletcher” reaching for her Life Alert pendant and telling an operator, "I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!"

Now companies like Nortek Security & Control and small startups are taking that much further.

The challenge though is that older consumers may not be ready to use the technology and their medical, security and wellness needs may differ significantly. There are also safety and privacy risks.

“There’s a lot of potential, but a big gap between what seniors want and what the market can provide,” said Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research at Parks Associates.

From the article "US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'" by Reuters. 

Previously In The News

Top 5 Home Tech Trends and Opportunities for 2017: From Voice Control to VR

Parks Associates research indicates 40 percent of U.S. smartphone owners use voice-recognition software, generally eclipsing the use of phones for streaming music to speakers or video to a second scre...

16% of US Households Plan to Buy Standalone Smart Security Products

According to a recent Parks Associates report 360 Deep Dive: Pricing Strategies for Residential Security,16 percent of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a security-related smart home product, such...

Network Security: Hacking Fears Could Scare Consumers Away from Smart-Home Devices

The rising occurrence of high-profile security hacks and privacy breaches, as well as being personally victimized, are contributing to ever-increasing consumer anxiety about smart home devices and pla...

The Streaming Media Device Landscape

Information for The Streaming Media Device Landscape is drawn from multiple sources: Interviews with and research on companies, including consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers, component manufactur...