In a classic Amazonian fashion, the stable of Alexa-linked services, commands and devices just keeps growing, supported by a burgeoning stable of purpose-built hardware. From Echo speakers, to displays, earbuds, eyeglass frames, the Ring video doorbell and more, Amazon’s sprawl within the segment of consumer electronics is approaching ubiquity.
In fact, when announcing its second-quarter results, Amazon reported that there are now more than 900,000 registered developers, brands and device-makers building with Alexa. Among the most recent ventures includes a six-year collaboration with Ford to bring Alexa to millions of retail and commercial vehicles in North America. And then last week, a second announcement by Samsung’s Appliance Division noted that Alexa would work alongside its own personal voice assistant, Bixby, which controls its refrigerator.
The Connected Hardware Trend
With so many registered developers, brands and device makers working with Alexa, Amazon’s commitment to connected hardware has never been more clear.
An article published by global managing consulting firm McKinsey & Company says that Amazon focuses on leveraging and building out its ecosystem: “All these devices come equipped with Alexa voice activation, enabling consumers to buy product seamlessly on Amazon, which represents an important part of the company’s expansion of its commerce channels.”
Setting the Stage
Noting that many of the items the company sold during a Prime Day were own Alexa-enabled hardware devices, the article pointed out that big, prominent deals drove sales for Alexa-enabled devices and set the stage for easy, seamless voice-controlled product ordering.
Indeed, this year Amazon itself reported that during the most recent Prime Day, when Prime members purchased more than 250 million items, the Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa voice remote was the most popular item purchased.
Smart speakers, too, are something sold under Amazon’s own brand. Why did Amazon choose speakers among all the smart devices that it could manufacture?
International Data Corporation (IDC), a provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events, noted that in Europe, smart speakers represented 25.8 percent of the smart home market in the fourth quarter of 2019. That was up 3 percent compared to a year earlier and the category was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.6 percent through 2024.
Amazon Alexa was the leading voice assistant with a market share of 58.3 percent of all devices. “With new models launched in the last quarter of the year, Amazon continued to gain market share, supported by the good performance of smart speakers and digital media adapters.”
Driving Higher Levels of Engagement
In an article published by strategy, research and analyst firm Futurum Research, Daniel Newman wrote that Amazon is working to make Alexa-enabled devices more proactive and engaging like mobile devices. Currently, many people use the Alexa platform only for basic functions like setting reminders and playing music.
“As more companies create voice assistant skills to tap into this market and reach customers, having useful skills like these that can drive higher levels of engagement will only continue to rise in importance.”
In its 2020 annual report, Amazon said customers have connected more than 100 million smart home devices to Alexa.
With more Alexa-equipped devices doing more things, whether those products are manufactured by Amazon or other registered developers, consumers have become more and more accustomed to turning to Alexa and Amazon when they need something.
What do the movies “Blade Runner,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Back to the Future Part II” and Spike Jonze’s “Her” all have in common?
These science fiction movies, each depicting various versions of a future full of fantastic technologies, all take place in the year 2025 or earlier.
Though some of the high-tech gadgets and futuristic innovations seen in these films, such as hoverboards and flying cars, haven’t quite materialized in everyday life, they have sparked imagination and set the stage for the very real innovations. As the dozens of groundbreaking products and wacky gadgets that debuted at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week reveal, the future is certainly now.
CES, after all, rarely disappoints when it comes to providing a first-look at some truly strange gadgets that might just represent the ultimate showcase of tomorrow’s technology.
From artificial intelligence (AI) being embedded into everything and smarter than ever home devices, to autonomous robotic companions and wearable tech that both bends and blends reality, many of the inventions that once seemed out of reach in Hollywood films are now being unveiled on the convention floor.
See also: The Five Not-So-Obvious Things That Will Change the Digital Economy in 2025
It’s becoming clear that today’s technological advancements are increasingly bridging the gap between what was once imagined and what’s now becoming real.
For example, smart home robots are no longer a futuristic fantasy — they are being positioned as potentially indispensable components of modern households.
CES 2025 saw the debut of the Roborock Saros Z70, a robot vacuum with a telescopic, five-axis arm. Rosey the Robot from “The Jetsons” has nothing on this little gadget, which its maker describes as “a mechanical arm that sees and thinks,” and is able to pick up and put away items like socks, shoes, tissues and more.
For more serious household tasks, the SwitchBot Multitasking Household Robot K20+ Pro was also unveiled at CES 2025. “Whether it’s delivering objects, vacuuming, monitoring pets, purifying the air, providing home security, or even mobilizing smart tablets, the K20+ Pro juggles household management with ease … from delivering food and drinks to carrying small packages,” said a company release.
Read more: Training Robots Using Video Games Could Democratize Warehouse Automation
The K20+ Pro’s core is designed for customization and flexibility, serving as a modular foundation that allows users to create, adapt, and personalize the robot for a wide variety of innovative applications, and can connect with third-party smart devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, ensuring integration into any smart home ecosystem.
Elsewhere, TCL premiered its “AI Me” (Amy) concept companion robot, complete with animated eyes, autonomous movement and an AI-powered camera on its head; while Dreame showcased its X50 Ultra robot vacuum that has legs to avoid obstacles.
As smart home technology continues to evolve, the integration of robots designed to assist in daily activities could significantly alter how we interact with our homes, manage tasks and even shape the future of work.
TomBot, for example, debuted an emotional robotic lap dog, Jennie, an AI robot therapy dog designed to keep seniors company. On the more playful side of things, Tokyo robotics startup Yukai Engineering introduced the Nékojita FuFu, a portable cat-shaped robot that can blow air to cool hot food or drinks.
It wasn’t solely robotics for use at home being showcased at CES. John Deere used the Las Vegas event to reveal its own autonomous agricultural products. The fully autonomous machines were on display from Jan. 7 to 10, and were a bit bigger in size, if equivalently less cute, than the TomBot puppies.
Read more: Google Reportedly Bringing Gemini AI to TV Sets
Behind the strangely futuristic convenience of a robot picking up your laundry and taking out the trash while it vacuums and interfaces with the rest of your household appliances lies a much larger story: the rise of the smart economy.
As CES 2025 showed, augmented reality (AR) glasses are the eye candy of the smart economy. A host of futuristic specs were unveiled, capable of a range of tasks that turn the wearer into a high-tech superhero.
Halliday showcased “the world’s first proactive AI glasses with invisible display,” while freshly debuted Loomos.AI glasses offer a ChatGPT-4o integrated AI assistant.
But other appendages remain up for grabs, and innovative products from smart rings to apps like WowMouse, which allows smartwatch wearers to control devices using just their gestures and fingers, are vying for market share in ways that aim to make daily life more convenient, efficient and secure.