Amazon's latest (shocking) product is a flying drone roommate
Sounds like a mashup of 1984 + The Circle... Bezos was clearly doing some reading this summer. Amazon's hardware strategy has achieved the creativity level of a dystopian novel (congrats). At its big hardware event on Thursday, the Zon unveiled new products just in time for the holidays. If your wishlist includes giving your home ears, a mouth, and all-seeing eyes, Amazon's got just the thing. In order of least threatening to borderline terrifying:
- Echo: A new line of orb-shaped Echo speakers with improved response time for Alexa voice commands (she's listening). The kids version looks like an adorable panda.
- Echo Show 10: Amazon's new smart display video monitor tracks you as you move (for pacing on Zoom calls). You can also use it as a remote camera "to check in on the dog."
- Always Home Cam: Amazon's new $250 Ring camera is a drone that flies around your house recording you.
Stealing your roommate's pad-thai... Don't even think about it — Bobby is Always Home, even when he's out. The new drone cam uses a map of your house to independently fly around and patrol strange noises (hmm) when activated. Then, it casts the footage back to your phone. Amazon bizarrely calls this “privacy you can hear” (because: drone sounds).
Convenience = control... The more convenient a product is, the more consumers have increasingly let it control their lives. Apple controls our communication lives with iPhone. Amazon controls our shopping lives with Prime. We're willing to give over our personal data (and our $$$) because of the immense convenience these products provide. But Always Home Cam tests the limits of privacy concerns over actual value.