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
One of the secrets of Roku's success has been its expansion beyond its roots as a set top box maker (a term the company tries to avoid). To do this, Roku CEO Anthony Wood built a loyal customer follow...
Smart TVs are becoming more of a norm now than ever before as a younger generation of Americans continues to rely more on streaming services than traditional television, according to research from Par...
COVID-19 restrictions have changed habits, commented Steve Nason, research director at Parks Associates in Marketplace. "Consumers are captive right now, they're in their homes," he said. That's not l...
Fox Nation has an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 subscribers, according to Parks Associates research. But Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Fox is trying to expand its reach to make it a more po...
