Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors

The company is still “number one,” said Elizabeth Parks, president of market research firm Parks Associates in Dallas. But it’s a shaky number one. Parks estimates that iRobot had nearly two-thirds of the robot vacuum market in 2018, but now holds only a 48 percent share. Meanwhile, rival robot makers like SharkNinja, Roborock, Eufy, and Ecovacs have been steadily chipping away.

One possible reason, according to Parks, is concern about data privacy. More advanced versions of the Roomba and other robots use visual sensors to generate detailed maps of the user’s home. This information is shared with the manufacturers to develop more advanced products, but it could also potentially be used to monitor users.

From the article, "IRobot faces a murky future amid rising Roomba competitors" by Hiawatha Bray

Previously In The News

Connected health: what’s different than last year?

This Editor was interested in what the organizers of the annual Connected Health Summit, now taking place in San Diego, are seeing as the differences in the digital health and remote monitoring sector...

37% Of Hulu Subs Signed Up Through App

A new Parks Associates whitepaper, sponsored by Ooyala, reveals the importance of connected device apps for the monetization of video services as they are now the second most used method for consumers...

Sharing Netflix Passwords Makes You Federal Lawbreaker?

Variety reported last year that the research firm Parks Associates estimated that "illicit password sharing" to video on demand players used by Netflix, HBO and other Internet subscription providers c...

Challenges For Developers In The Internet Of Things Era

Indeed, in a recent survey carried out by industry analysis provider Parks Associates, two thirds of consumers who were considering switching mobile providers rated managed access to WiFi as part of t...