Amazon will hold its fall Alexa hardware event next week
- Amazon is hosting an Alexa Hardware Device Event on September 24 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
- It just means there will be “some news”.
- The event is by invitation only and therefore may not be streamed to the public.
Device announcements may vary widely during the 2020 pandemic, but that doesn’t stop Amazon from holding the usual fall Alexa event and bringing new Echo products to market. The internet giant has sent invitations to The edge and others for hardware news on September 24th at 1:00 p.m. east.
The company didn’t tease what it might reveal, just saying it had “some news”. The event will also be billed as an invitation only, so it may not be streamed to the public. Suffice it to say that Amazon will not hold a face-to-face meeting like it did at the 2019 Alexa event.
Continue reading: The best Alexa speakers beyond the echo
Amazon has used its events in the past to introduce updated Echo speakers and smart displays, as well as some surprises. The 2019 presentation featured some traditional devices like the high-end Echo Studio speaker, the Echo Dot with clock, and the Echo Show 8 screen. However, several novelties have also been introduced, including the first Alexa-enabled wireless earbuds (the Echo Buds), the Echo Frames smart glasses, and the Echo Loop Ring. We’d expect a similar level of adventure in Amazon’s 2020 Echo range.
There may be more pressure than usual to impress potential smart speaker buyers. Google has been teasing a sequel to the Nest brand for the original Home that may appear at its September 30th event, while Apple is reportedly rolling out a smaller HomePod this fall. Amazon can’t afford to be complacent with its Echo 2020 offerings – it could face much tougher competition before the end of the year.
