Providing Market Intelligence for 40 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

Walmart partners with MGM to boost video-on-demand service Vudu

There are currently more than 200 video services that bypass cable providers and stream content directly to a TV, laptop, phone or game console. That is up from 68 services five years ago, according t...

Why your Rokus and Fire TVs are missing those big, new streaming apps

Most people assume all the big streaming services will be at the ready to download and watch on their streaming device. And up until this year, that was fairly true. People who bought a Roku or an Ama...

GPS trackers are leaking info on your kids: What to do

A growing number of consumers (79%, according to Parks & Associates research), are concerned about privacy in their smart devices. CNET has made privacy and security a much bigger factor when reviewin...

At CES 2019, Apple finally sets iTunes, AirPlay loose

The number of households with a streaming player has quadrupled in the last five years, according to Parks Associates, but Apple trails Roku and Amazon in market share, and it seldom discounts its pri...