DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - May 22, 2014) - Parks Associates hosted nearly 400 executives in the connected home industries at the 18th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, held last week in San Francisco. The event featured speakers, sponsors, and attendees from start-ups, Fortune 500, venture capitalist, public relations, and media companies representing the entertainment, access services, CE, smart home, mobility, and tech support markets.
"Currently 76% of U.S. broadband households own a smartphone, and ownership of tablets has quadrupled since 2011 to 61%," said Stuart Sikes, president, Parks Associates. "With the Internet of Things emerging for the connected consumer, more companies have a stake in the home, and our attendees represented the diversity of interest in the connected home across multiple industries. The business motivations for manufacturers of connected products and smart home services suppliers are not always aligned, but CONNECTIONS™ attendees gained insight into how industry leaders are addressing these challenges."
Popular session topics included wearable computing and interoperability in the Internet of Things, which focused on the challenges and revenue opportunities emerging as new technologies and more connected screens enter the home. Parks Associates consumer research finds 4% of U.S. broadband households report owning a smart watch, with another 4% highly likely to purchase one in the next 12 months.
At the event, Parks Associates analysts provided attendees with a special look at new research coming from the firm this summer. The report Envision: Digital Lifestyles in 2025 analyzes the connected consumer 10 years into the future, including market factors and consumer trends affecting content and service providers, connected devices, and the markets for smart home, mobility, and connected health solutions.
"Our 2025 research explores future impacts of technological and socioeconomic trends. We see greater market diversity and fragmentation of the consumer market in terms of race, age, and income," said John Barrett, Director, Consumer Analytics, Parks Associates. "Solutions for connected health and home management such as 'passive sensors' will have increased opportunities given consumers' growing desire to maintain independence and health as they age."
The 2025 research also examines the impact of future trends such as data analytics, Gigabit Internet speeds, consolidation among service providers, and stylized CE form factors.
For more information on CONNECTIONS™, please visit www.connectionsconference.com. Upcoming conferences by Parks Associates include the Connected Health Summit, September 4-5, in San Diego, and CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Monetizing Strategies for the Connected Home, November 18-19, in Amsterdam.
About CONNECTIONS™
The 18th-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference took place May 13-15, 2014, at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront. Hosted by research firm Parks Associates, CONNECTIONS™ features research presentations, keynotes, and interactive sessions focused on emerging technologies, value-added services, marketing strategies, and business models for the entertainment and smart home industries.
The event provides interactive discussions, data on consumer trends, and market analysis, with strategic insights from industry players on entertainment, mobile, and smart home market segments. The event also features a showcase area where attendees can preview demos from event sponsors.
CONNECTIONS™ Sponsors are Association Sponsor CEA®; Platinum Sponsor Cisco; Reception Sponsor iControl Networks; Silver Sponsors Amdocs, Lowe's, Qualcomm, and Support.com; Bronze Sponsors ADT, Affinegy, Arrayent, HDMI, INSTEON, Logitech Harmony, NETGEAR, PlanetEcosystems, Silicon Image, and Z-Wave Alliance; Program Guide Sponsor NAGRA; Breakfast Sponsors Ayla Networks, and GreenWave Systems; and Break Sponsors AlertMe, Honeywell, Linear, and SmartRG.
For more information, contact sales@parksassociates.com, call 972-490-1113, or visit www.connectionsconference.com.
About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.
The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.
Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com
Contact Information:
Contact:
Holly Sprague
Parks Associates
720-987-6614
hsprague@gmail.com
