Amazon announces a high-end $99 Echo to compete with Apple’s HomePod

Today’s the large day at Amazon headquarters in Seattle. The firm promised a day of massive bulletins, kicking issues off with the announcement of a high-end Echo, a long-awaited alternative for the primary technology gadget. The product is the next finish model of the unique residence assistant, designed to compete with Apple’s HomePod, however on the rather more stomachable worth of $99.

The new assistant is on the market beginning at this time, bringing with it a extra premium sound, together with a devoted woofer and tweeter, together with Dolby sound. The gadget additionally options the second technology of Amazon’s far-field know-how, the microphone array the corporate makes use of so Echo can play properly with different gadgets.

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As initially rumored, the product incorporates a higher-end material protecting, although what’s surprising, is that the product additionally options six completely different shells, so the Echo will be coordinated for numerous rooms within the residence.

The long-awaited replace is clearly a part of Amazon’s try and compete with higher-end residence gadgets and make the product extra than simply one other plasticky gadget. Though the far cheaper price level (which additionally features a three pack for $50 off) is way extra consistent with Amazon’s long-standing place of undercutting the remainder of the of the business.

Amazon’s by no means had a lot curiosity in making a killing from — as a substitute, the purpose of Echo has at all times been getting Alexa within the residence, and the model new Echo isn’t any completely different. The gadget does symbolize extra of a concentrate on audio. As the corporate famous throughout at this time’s occasion, Echoes are actually a extra common platform for streaming Amazon Music than cell gadgets.

The new Echo addressed customers trying to get extra out of their gadget. The earliest Echo was plasticky, with a fairly dismal speaker (regardless of being marketed as a “smart speaker”), and within the early days that was sufficient. After all, there wasn’t something fairly just like the Echo when it first launch.

With the arrival of Google Home, Apple’s HomePod and myriad different gadget within the intervening years, that’s clearly not the case. As such, the flagship Echo has to do much more than simply sitting round answering questions.

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