Providing market intelligence for more than 35 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

Voice Control for Connected Entertainment: Challenges and Opportunities

Smart speakers are becoming a more common platform for controlling connected entertainment due to a rapid increase in popularity and ease of use. Household penetration of smart speakers is expected to...

AI Meets VR in New Nvidia Tech

"Currently, VR content creation is prohibitively costly, and it is difficult to create the kinds of experiences consumers are looking for," explained Kristen Hanich, a research analyst with Dallas, Te...

Three Reasons Why Verizon Would Be A Good Suitor For Yahoo

Yahoo still commands a huge audience. Nearly 1 billion people visit a Yahoo website every month. While content is a risky business, analysts believe it's a way to keep customers engaged. "Verizo...

Roku IPO: Shares jump 68% as investors bet the firm can fend off Amazon, Apple and Google

Analysts say Roku has shown great upside by diversifying its revenue away from chiefly hardware to partnerships and advertising over its platform. “Over the past two-and-a-half years, Roku has expa...