Twenty-eight percent of U.S. broadband homes own at least one smart speaker with voice assistant, said Parks Associates Wednesday. Adoption growth in the category has been explosive, it said. Parks estimates smart speakers penetrating more than 30 percent by year-end. That's versus 5 percent two years ago, it said. Smart speakers “are experiencing a meteoric rise not seen since tablets,” said CTA's July midyear forecast report.
Powercast started shipping its PowerSpot wireless-charging transmitter, calling it the first “far field” product of its kind to charge multiple wireless devices at distances up to 80 feet.
Roku began rolling out an OS 8.2 update for Roku TVs it expects to be complete in November, said the company Monday. The company will enable use of Google Assistant to voice control Roku streaming devices and is bringing Spotify and Pandora Premium support to Roku devices.
Less than half of smart home technology installations are subcontracted out to CEDIA contractors by home builders, architects, and interior designers, said a CEDIA study done in June and July by The Farnsworth Group. The survey of 273 homebuilders, architects and interior designers was designed to gauge interest level in the smart home category and awareness of the CEDIA channel, said the trade group. Among the results: 74 percent of interior designers and 61 percent of architects look to subcontractors to install smart home technology and contract out to a certified home technology professional in most cases, and some 63 percent of home builders do the work themselves or subcontract out to an electrician. Nearly 70 percent of home builders are aware of CEDIA vs. 58 percent of architects and 35 percent of interior designers, said the study. Certifications were seen as “very important” to 70 percent of the survey group, and 70 percent said they would hire a certified smart home contractor over a non-certified one. Four in five respondents said they're interested in some level of smart home technology, it said. Developing a deeper relationship with designers and builders has been a goal of the trade association since inception. CEDIA CEO Tabatha O’Connor said Wednesday the study sets a “benchmark” for the organization to understand where it is today and to measure success in building awareness and opportunities for members going forward. Survey findings show opportunities exist for members’ services “if we can build awareness and create more demand,” O’Connor said. CEDIA is exhibiting this week at Design and Construction Week and will again at DCW in February, it said.
Fitbit shares closed 5.3 percent higher Wednesday at $6.11 after the company announced it's expanding its partnership with Humana to help members adopt healthy behaviors and prevent chronic conditions through the Fitbit Care health coaching solution that launched Wednesday. Through the partnership with Humana’s employer group unit, more than five million Humana members will have access to Fitbit solutions, said the companies. The Fitbit Care platform, which integrates behavior change principles from Twine Health -- a Fitbit acquisition earlier this year (see 1802270050) -- combines wearables, self-tracking and personalized digital interventions, Fitbit said. The companies also announced availability of the Humana Go365 clock face on Fitbit Versa and Ionic devices, making Go365 activity data available from the wrist.
Some 7.7 million stand-alone and all-in-one networked cameras will be sold in the U.S. this year, generating $889 million revenue, Parks Associates reported. Networked cameras, in 9 percent of broadband households, are highly popular among smart home devices because they give peace of mind to consumers, said analyst Dina Abdelrazik. Advances in image recognition and self-installation, along with improving user experience, are driving increased adoption that’s being led online and in stores, she said. Seven of 10 consumers surveyed said recommendations from an insurance or security company would be important in a purchase decision, though do-it-yourself cameras generate most sales due to improving experiences, she said. Artificial intelligence and voice control integration are expected to drive further engagement. More than 80 percent of consumers who own or plan to buy an IP camera consider image or sound recognition abilities to identify safety and security events to be appealing. Privacy concerns will be offset by familiarity with the technology, dropping prices and more millennials buying homes, Abdelrazik said Tuesday: New parents and pet owners make for strong target markets.
Two percent of Apple customers own a HomePod smart speaker, and a third own smart speakers, said Consumer Intelligence Research Partners Tuesday. Some 20 percent of Apple customers own a media player, said analyst Mike Levin, noting that after “starting high, Apple now offers Apple TV models [$179, $199] priced closer to competitors than it prices HomePod [$349]." More competitive pricing enabled Apple to penetrate its customer base in the media player category, Levin said. Apple didn’t do much to raise HomePod’s appeal in its high-profile product release last week (see 1809120048). Industry followers and Apple aficionados were hoping for a smaller, more affordable HomePod mini, an Apple version of Amazon’s Echo Dot and Google Home mini, but “there is little time for Apple to release a competitive model for Christmas 2018,” Levin said. Across the smart speaker market, consumers gravitate to the lowest-priced models from Amazon and Google, with the Echo Dot having more than half of the Echo installed base and Home mini at 40 percent of the Google Home installed base, said Levin: The downsizing means Amazon and Google have sold more total speakers while encouraging consumers to “own more units and integrate their respective platforms into their households.” About a third of Echo and Home users own more than one device, he said.
Carriers pitched 5G with day one of Apple iPhone Xs and Xs Max smartphone (see 1809120055) preorders, even though Apple isn’t expected to have a 5G-capable phone before 2020. Apple headlined the Super Retina screen, including the "largest display ever” on an iPhone, faster Face ID, the A12 Bionic chip, the dual camera system and improved water resistance. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon led with preorder options for the iPhones and the Apple Watch Series 4, due to ship Friday, and gave Oct 19 preorder and Oct. 26 availability dates for the iPhone XR. Retailers got in on it, too. AT&T Wireless featured unlimited data and streaming media add-ons. The carrier also mentioned its introduction of mobile 5G “on the horizon,” saying it’s expected to be available in 12 cities this year and at least 19 in early 2019. After promoting its 5G service, AT&T said the iPhone Xs and Xs Max are using AT&T’s LTE-LAA network technologies, capable of offering a “theoretical peak speed of up to 1 gigabit per second” in 15 markets “and counting.” Verizon summarizing the week's news listed preorders for iPhone Xs and Xs Max last in a series of company news items behind 5G and Hurricane Florence (see 1809140037) updates. “THIS IS BIG. 5G is here” took top billing. The company noted the world’s first commercial 5G service launches Oct. 1 and that it began taking preorders for 5G Home in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento at FirstOn5G.com. Sprint and T-Mobile, seeking government OK to combine, also had promotions here and here. Fifth-generation was much discussed at conferences last week on both coasts: 1809140023 and 1809130043.
TP-Link announced the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi power strip Thursday, with six outlets that can make any powered device a smart product, said the company. Users can control a device from inside or away from the home, and monitor energy consumption by app, it said. If a device is using too much power, it can be shut off via the app, said the company. The $79 device, with surge protection, can be voice-controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant or Microsoft Cortana, it said.
New Zealand is second only to South Korea among 19 countries canvassed in consumer adoption of smart TVs, reported IDC Tuesday. Smart TVs penetrated 44 percent of New Zealand homes, above the worldwide average of 39 percent. The adoption rate for 4K TVs in New Zealand doubled to 20 percent in the past year, about on par with the global average of 19 percent. Fewer than half the 4K TV buyers surveyed in New Zealand said that 4K capability of their smart sets “influenced their purchasing decision,” it said.