In The News

But Parks Associates director research Barbara Kraus said LinkedIn users won’t be surprised by this use of their information.

“People see LinkedIn as a business resource,” she told me via email, “making B2B ads a natural fit.”

“Since people are promoting themselves [and each other],” she said, “promotions of business-related products or services seem less obtrusive.”

“If they want people to notice them [because of their LinkedIn profiles or published ...read more

The global access and entertainment services marketplace continues its pace of dramatic change, as broadband services have achieved new levels of penetration and speed worldwide.

Emerging markets in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia are experiencing rapid growth, as many homes obtain high-speed broadband services for the first time. While penetration growth has slowed in mature markets in North America, Western Europe, and Asia, competition is driving an industry push to ever-faster ...read more

Smart energy services in the home are already wrapped up with home security settings. Intelligent light bulbs and smart thermostats are standard offerings as part of smart home packages, which are led by security.

But people are ready for more, much more, according to new research from Parks Associates released at its Smart Energy Summit in Austin this week. Nearly half of homes with broadband in the U.S. would be willing to subscribe to a bundle of energy services for about $10 per ...read more

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 ...read more

There’s pressure on the company to launch new services like UberPool, along with its international expansion. Parks Associates analyst Tejas Mehta said that these all are expensive alternatives and the company can make use of all the cash it gets.

According to the company, "The participation we have seen in Uber's Series E underscores the confidence investors have in Uber's growth and the key priorities of UberPool and further international expansion”.

From the article ...read more

The decision may have been made to avoid regulation by the FDA, according to BuzzFeed.

"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 ...read more

Just a quarter of T Mobile USA subscribers prefer the traditional mobile contract model of a two year contract with a subsidized handset, according to Parks Associates.

The research firm finds T-Mobile subscribers have embraced the company's new programs that do not require a service contract. Among T-Mobile subscribers planning to purchase a smartphone, 33% prefer to pay full price upfront, and 31% prefer to pay in monthly installments.

"T-Mobile and AT&T have also tapped ...read more

Venture capitalists' recent investments in Uber "underscore the confidence investors have in Uber's growth," an Uber spokeswoman said. She said additional funding will be geared toward its car-pool feature, which is dubbed UberPool, and launching its service in more cities around the world. The company is currently in more than 260 cities in 54 countries.

Uber is under pressure to introduce new services, such as UberPool, and to do so while continuing its international ...read more