Now Is a Bad Time to Buy Amazon Devices
Members of the media recently received invitations to an Amazon device event in New York City on February 26th, which means one thing: Don’t buy Amazon devices until after the event.
While Amazon hasn’t directly said what will be shown on the big day, it’s always a good idea to wait for announcements like these before purchasing—as long as the products aren’t too far away. Even if you don’t see anything exciting in the announcements, older, outdated products will likely get a discount in the weeks following news of their successors. You’ll either get something completely new or save money on something you would have paid full price for.
As for what we can expect from Amazon, even though the company remains silent, there are still a few clues.
Alexa becomes an AI
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Alexa is likely to be the star of the new event, as Amazon is hiding an Alexa-centric Easter egg in its invitations. It turns out that different participants received different versions of the invitation, and if you add them all together, they spell out “Alexa.”
Alexa is likely to be the next virtual assistant to join the AI trend: Amazon will finally release the AI-powered version of the bot it announced in 2023 . The company has remained silent on Alexa AI since then, although Reuters reports that it is now ready for launch, so the timing would be right.
In its initial announcement, Amazon said Alexa’s AI would be able to process conversational prompts, read body language and provide more personalized answers to questions, although Reuters sources seem to indicate that while conversational prompts are there, other features may take some time to arrive.
According to a report from Bloomberg , the team behind Alexa has previously had difficulty getting the AI version of the chatbot to perform simple tasks like setting timers or closing blinds, so there are some concerns. Let’s hope he doesn’t lose any opportunities during the transition. However, if it encounters problems after launch, that may be another reason to wait a little longer with the Amazon device.
New Alexa-enabled devices
Having left Microsoft in 2023 , Amazon hardware chief Panos Panay is also expected to attend the event along with his devices and services team, which seems to confirm that this won’t just be a software overhaul, but that we’ll also see new hardware.
In particular, I’d bet on the new Echo smart speakers, designed to take advantage of AI-powered Alexa. These might include a special neural chip or new cameras for use with LLM’s supposed ability to read body language. It’s hard to say, but given that Amazon’s recent Echo releases have been more focused on the premium Echo Show , its more affordable siblings are probably due for an upgrade.
Likewise, Amazon Fire TVs or other smart displays may receive their own updates to provide better Alexa compatibility.
Don’t expect new Kindles
Personally, I don’t tend to use Amazon devices at home, mainly because I don’t have a smart home. The biggest exception to this rule is probably the Kindle, but anyone waiting for a new Kindle series to arrive can probably slow down.
That’s because Amazon released a new line of Kindles just a few months ago, including its first color Kindle in Kindle Colorsoft. It was quite an extensive line with four variants spread across different price points. Given numerous user complaints about faulty hardware at launch, as well as a seemingly short pause in deliveries, Amazon is unlikely to want to slow down any further.