All the news from Amazon’s September 2023 product launch event
Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAmazon’s big fall product event comes from a smaller company and with big AI expectations. Continue reading…
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Amazon is kicking off its annual fall product announcements at its HQ2 campus in Arlington, Virginia. It seems Amazon is planning some big, AI-driven changes for Alexa, its smart assistant that could help it keep up with Bing, Bard, and ChatGPT. So, yes, we expect the new products could include artificial intelligence features, of course, but what else is in store for Echo, Ring, and co.?
The company’s devices and services division is undergoing an executive shake-up with the departure of hardware boss Dave Limp and rumors that Microsoft’s Panos Panay will replace him. This also follows a year full of personnel cuts and division closures, all of which could point to a more muted outing. Still, last year brought new Eero PoE routers, updated Echo speakers, and even a new Kindle, which should help set expectations. And in past years, Amazon’s product launches have been even more chaotic: remember the Alexa microwave and the Echo Wall Clock? It’s not an Amazon launch if there aren’t at least a few surprises.
We’ll keep you up to date on all the developments as Amazon’s announcements roll out.
15-minute warning for all things Amazon.
These events are funny — sometimes it’s an hour-long avalanche of gadgets, where Amazon is like, “this cabinet has Alexa, is that anything?” Other times it’s more measured and thoughtful, Amazon shipping products it thinks people will actually buy. This year, given the way the economy is going and what’s been happening within Amazon’s devices team, I’d bet on the more austere side of things this year. But here’s hoping for a little chaos too.
Good morning from Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington, VA!
We’re about a half-hour out from the start of Amazon’s big fall device launch event, and a few of us spent a chunk of our morning on a tour of Amazon’s new headquarters. It’s... a headquarters! But there is a food truck outside that exists just for handing out free bananas, so that’s pretty great. Amazon food truck innovation, y’all.
The Fire TV should be at the heart of Amazon’s smart home
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
They say the heart of any home is the kitchen, and while nice in theory, we all know that in most American homes, it’s the room with the biggest TV where everyone hangs out. In my decade-plus of covering the smart home, it’s baffled me that no company has really embraced the TV as a central hub for the smart home.
Yes, you can navigate three menus down on a Fire TV-enabled television and turn a smart light off, and your Apple TV or Google Chromecast will let you view a security camera livestream if you know the exact incantation to summon it. But to date, the relationship between the smart TV and the smart home has been more parasitic than symbiotic.
What’s next for Windows and Surface without Panos Panay?
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Panos Panay has always been the force behind Microsoft’s Surface line. He helped bring Surface to life as a secret project more than 10 years ago. He’s presented the new devices onstage at events, showed up at malls to promote Surface hardware, and has steered Microsoft’s Surface tablets to success in the years since.
Now, he’s leaving in a surprise departure announced just days before Microsoft’s next big Surface event. Panay will no longer be presenting at Microsoft’s showcase on Thursday but will remain at the company for another couple of weeks as part of a transition process. He’s reportedly joining Amazon to replace Dave Limp and lead Amazon’s Echo and Alexa push. Amazon is also holding its own hardware event on Wednesday.
Amazon is dropping dozens of in-house brands you didn’t even know it owned
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Amazon is slashing the number of in-house brands it offers on its marketplace. The retail giant plans on cutting 27 of its 30 private-label clothing brands as it looks to cut costs and stave off antitrust scrutiny, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Over the years, Amazon has created dozens of private-label brands across a variety of departments, most of which operate without Amazon branding, such as Solimo, Wag, and Mama Bear. However, this cutback will leave Amazon with just three in-house clothing brands: Amazon Essentials, Amazon Collection, and Amazon Aware.
