Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Parks: Smart Home Devices Driving Higher Demand for Tech Support, But Computer Problems are in Steady Decline

Consumer computer problems, as well as problems with entertainment devices are declining steadily year-over-year, dropping by more than 50% since 2014, according to a new report from Parks Associates. However, smart home devices are creating more problems in households, according to the report. Thirty-four percent of smart home device owners experienced problems with their devices in 2017, up from 28% in 2016.

Twenty to 25 percent of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart device within the next year, so tech support companies and service providers are starting to invest more support resources focusing on solutions for the broad array of these products, such as in-home consultation services.

From the article "Parks: Smart Home Devices Driving Higher Demand for Tech Support, But Computer Problems are in Steady Decline" by Phil Britt.

Previously In The News

Will Apple TV kill the cable box? Not so fast

To go a step further, Apple could embrace over-the-air antennas, whose usage is still on the rise as cable subscriptions sink. (According to Parks Associates, roughly 20 percent of U.S. homes with bro...

Voice Commands, Personal Assistants the Next Frontier for Device Interactions, Gartner Predicts

Parks Associates released findings in October estimating that 46 percent of U.S. Millennials with smartphones use voice recognition software, while a separate report from TiVO indicated 43 percent of...

Fitbit Buys Smartwatch Pioneer Pebble Amid Wearables Shakeup

The smartwatch market has also slumped. Apple Watch sales are down this year, and Lenovo’s Motorola brand has dropped out of the market. Most people simply aren’t finding reasons to buy them: Smartwat...

Report: Connected Home Consumers Want Data Security Support

Several recent studies have shown that security and privacy are top of mind for consumers considering Internet of Things devices for their homes. Parks Associates back in October noted around 40 pe...