Technology Review: 2017 was the year consumer DNA testing blew up
"The number of people who have had their DNA analyzed with direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy tests more than doubled during 2017 and now exceeds 12 million, according to industry estimates.
Most of those tested are in the US, suggesting that around 1 in 25 American adults now have access to personal genetic data—a figure that could spur a range of new genetic analysis services.
The boom comes amid a price war in which companies offered under-$60 tests and 2-for-1 deals during an end-of-year blitz of advertising and discounts."
The article mentions that AncestryDNA is now the biggest DNA testing company, with 7 million customers, well ahead of 23andme with a bit over 3 million.
That's rather odd since AncestryDNA doesn't test either Y-DNA or mtDNA and does not offer the very interesting Health Report provided by 23andMe (to American customers at least). It's richly ironic than a test designed for genealogists shouldn't test Y-DNA, which is the main (and possibly the only useful) tool of genetic genealogists to determine the number of generations separating two individuals descended from a common paternal ancestor.
AncestryDNA also has rather mediocre autosomal report (unless they have changed it recently without my knowing it), which made me rank it the worst DNA testing company in my review of ancestral DNA tests last year. Only FTDNA's Family Finder scored worse, but FTDNA does offer other tests to make up for it.
It looks like the majority of Americans prefer a slightly cheaper but mediocre product rather than go for quality. The same is true of food, TV, English grammar, and more other things. If so many people are satisfied with mediocrity it is no wonder than half of the US population is now obese and close to or under the poverty line. Really sad. I suppose that in this context the success of AncestryDNA is not that surprising.
"The number of people who have had their DNA analyzed with direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy tests more than doubled during 2017 and now exceeds 12 million, according to industry estimates.
Most of those tested are in the US, suggesting that around 1 in 25 American adults now have access to personal genetic data—a figure that could spur a range of new genetic analysis services.
The boom comes amid a price war in which companies offered under-$60 tests and 2-for-1 deals during an end-of-year blitz of advertising and discounts."
The article mentions that AncestryDNA is now the biggest DNA testing company, with 7 million customers, well ahead of 23andme with a bit over 3 million.
That's rather odd since AncestryDNA doesn't test either Y-DNA or mtDNA and does not offer the very interesting Health Report provided by 23andMe (to American customers at least). It's richly ironic than a test designed for genealogists shouldn't test Y-DNA, which is the main (and possibly the only useful) tool of genetic genealogists to determine the number of generations separating two individuals descended from a common paternal ancestor.
AncestryDNA also has rather mediocre autosomal report (unless they have changed it recently without my knowing it), which made me rank it the worst DNA testing company in my review of ancestral DNA tests last year. Only FTDNA's Family Finder scored worse, but FTDNA does offer other tests to make up for it.
It looks like the majority of Americans prefer a slightly cheaper but mediocre product rather than go for quality. The same is true of food, TV, English grammar, and more other things. If so many people are satisfied with mediocrity it is no wonder than half of the US population is now obese and close to or under the poverty line. Really sad. I suppose that in this context the success of AncestryDNA is not that surprising.