Amazon Quiet About Future of Echo Dot After It Sells Out
While voice control continues to pop up as the interface of the future, the future of Amazon’s Dot, an Alexa-based miniature version of the Echo, remains in doubt. The Dot, a hockey-puck-shaped speaker that brings Alexa functionality to third-party speakers,…
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sold out at Amazon this summer, leading to speculation it has been discontinued. Several Amazon customers said on an Echo support page they were told by Amazon customer service staff that the company wouldn’t be making any more of the devices. But positive reviews for the $90 Dot created the lingering impression Amazon has something up its sleeve -- whether for the original Dot that came to market in limited supply, or a tweaked upgrade that shares many of the Dot’s features. An Amazon spokeswoman told us customer response to Echo Dot has been “incredibly positive and we are surprised to have sold out so quickly.” Amazon hears daily about new use cases customers have discovered with their Dots, she said. “I expect Echo Dot will be a big hit this holiday season,” she teased, telling us to “stay tuned for more on availability.” The Amazon Tap, meanwhile, which launched at the same time as the Dot, is still available and is being discounted by some third-party retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond and B&H Photo Video (see 1608080011).