Amazon released two versions of Echo, the voice-controlled smart home device of the company that comes in the form of a cylindrical speaker, last week in the form of Echo Dot and Amazon Tap. These devices represent the company's continued attempts to enter the race for creating products that pioneer the Internet of Things, and so far, Echo has surprisingly performed very well in terms of sales.
"It's one of the most sold-out things that I see on Amazon," said Scot Wingo, chairman at an e-commerce consulting firm called ChannelAdvisor. "It's an unusual thing for Amazon to be out of something, but for the Echo, it's usually in stock just for a couple weeks before it goes out of stock for a few days - so it feels like they're having trouble making enough of the devices."
The Echo products are showing potential to be the next gadget line that consumers would want to be updated with, a quality and position that is currently associated with Apple products.
What is even more unexpected about Amazon's Echo line is the fact that it does not offer anything extraordinary with its design and features, which are actually already available on an iPhone - playing music, keeping track of the news and weather, creating a shopping list, and serving as a memory storage of important dates, to name a few.
It can also be configured to control the airconditioning and thermostat temperatures as well as call for an Uber ride, all with just a simple, human-like conversation with Alexa, Amazon's counterpart for Siri.
Hence, despite the features already existing within smartphones, with its capability of connecting with other smart appliances and the fact that a person can communicate from it even when meters away from the device, people are seeing and experiencing the convenience of having Alexa help around the house.
The new products are basically spinoffs of Echo. Dot is like a miniature Echo but with the addition of Bluetooth and a jack that allows users to connect the device to an audio equipment, while Tap, also a smaller version of Echo, is a great product for people on the go, as it is a portable device that can conserve up to nine hours of battery while still providing access to Alexa.
With the Dot and Tap ready for shipping by the end of the month, the AI behind Alexa will also gain the opportunity to grow and update its database, as more and more people provide it with the different information that homes frequently request for. Plus, if the product indeed hits expected sales, then there is no stopping Amazon from continuing to produce the next gadget under the Echo line and taking over the tech industry that was once dominated by Apple products.
