Amazon is having a hardware event on February 26th, 2025. The lead of its devices and services team is Panos Panay, who will spearhead all the product unveiling. Reuters suggests that Amazon will release the new Alexa generative artificial intelligence voice service, said three people familiar with the matter. The company will likely release new Alexa smart speakers with all the latest features. It is also rumored that refreshes will occur for the Echo Glasses and Buds.
The new generative AI-powered Alexa represents a massive opportunity for Amazon, which has more than half a billion Alexa-enabled devices in the market, and a tremendous risk. Amazon hopes the revamp, designed to converse with users, can convert some of its hundreds of millions of users into paying customers, generating a return for the unprofitable business. They will likely charge $10 monthly for it while maintaining a free tier.
Executives are scheduled to hold a final “Go/No-go” meeting on February 14 to assess the readiness of the new Alexa service. If approved, the rollout could happen at the end of the month at the event.
No new Kindle e-readers will likely be announced since Amazon refreshed the base Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Scribe, and Colorsoft late last year. From an e-reading perspective, the only hardware products that might be refreshed are some Fire Tablets.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
