Amazon could be planning to seriously beef up its line of Alexa-enabled devices.
The internet giant is mulling the launch of eight new devices that can be controlled just by using your voice and its digital assistant technology, Alexa.
It could release a microwave, amplifier, receiver, subwoofer and an in-car gadget, CNBC reported, citing sources close to the situation.
Smart speakers are becoming a fixture in our households. That’s according to Adobe, which found in a poll of US consumers that nearly half could own one by the end of the year
Amazon could reveal these new devices at an event by the end of this year, an internal document indicated, CNBC said.
Some of the devices will have Alexa built in, while others will be able to connect to the voice assistant.
Alexa is already linked up with several devices in the smart home market, ranging from voice-controlled thermostats, coffee makers, light bulbs and many more items.
Other smart home devices enable users to connect popular voice assistants, like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and Microsoft’s Cortana, with appliances and other items around the home.
It’s unclear whether the devices will be branded as part of the Echo line, which includes devices like the original Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show.
Amazon may decide to launch an entirely separate line dedicated to Alexa-equipped home devices, separate from the Echo line.
It’s unclear whether the devices will be branded as part of the Echo line, which includes devices like the original Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show, or if it will launch a separate line
The CNBC report also suggests that Amazon could eventually use its Alexa-equipped smart home devices as an in with home builders.
It previously announced a partnership with home construction company Lennar to include two Echo speakers in new homes and offered at-home visits from Amazon technicians.
Amazon has signaled that it wants Alexa to be in more places than just your bedroom or living room.
‘We want customers to be able to use Alexa wherever they are,’ Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in the firm’s most recent earnings report.
‘There are now tens of thousands of developers across more than 150 countries building new devices using the Alexa Voice Service, and the number of Alexa-enabled devices has more than tripled in the last year.’