Most manufacturers of consumer electronics follow a yearly cycle of releasing new products – if smartphone makers can do it, why not Amazon?
In fact, around this time last year, Amazon launched its Echo Spot smart speaker, so it comes as no surprise that the online shopping giant is gearing up to announce eight new Alexa-enabled smart home devices, according to CNBC.
CNBC reports that Amazon is expected to officially reveal the new devices at an event to be held later this month, with a microwave amongst the potential gadgets.
Bezos needs money, so please buy this Alexa microwave
According to the report, the devices are wide-ranging but details are sparse – other than the aforementioned microwave, we could potentially see the launch of an automotive gadget and a high-end home audio set which would include an amplifier, a receiver and a subwoofer.
If these new devices are launched, it would be Amazon’s first foray into the home appliances market, and will place it in direct competition with the likes of Sonos, GE and Garmin who already offer Alexa-enabled products for the home and car.
The release of the new devices also builds into Amazon’s plans for making Alexa a quintessential part of a smart home setup. In July, CEO Jeff Bezos said, “We want customers to be able to use Alexa wherever they are."
"There are now tens of thousands of developers across more than 150 countries building new devices using the Alexa Voice Service," Bezos added in the July earnings report, "and the number of Alexa-enabled devices has more than tripled in the past year."
However, as The Verge points out, the CNBC report doesn’t mention if the new devices will be Echo branded or not, leaving room for Amazon to work on making Alexa a brand name.
