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
If it doesn’t sell as many units as the marquee products of the most profitable technology company in the world, it’s a disappointment. You really are single-handedly keeping Ned in business, aren’...
"The most important demographic factor in terms of mobile app usage continues to be age," said Harry Wang, Senior Director of Research at Parks Associates. "Millennials have higher usage rates for nea...
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...
Account sharing for online streaming services, such as Amazon, HBO, Hulu and Netflix, cost the industry $500 million in revenues in 2015, according to a study by research firm Parks Associates. But th...
