If rumors are to be believed, Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) popular speaker, the Amazon Echo, is expected to hit the UK markets on September 14. The company’s mysterious invite to UK publications for its upcoming event suggests that the retailer has finally decided to bring its Bluetooth speaker to Britain after it was first launched in the US two years ago.
While the company's invite doesn't give too many clues, but if you ask Alexa (Echo's voice assistant) what's happening on September 14, you will get a good idea. It seems that the speaker’s virtual assistant responds to users’ queries regarding the September event by claiming that heading to London has always been a part of its “bucket-list.”
The Verge also says that Amazon’s UK page has revealed pre-orders for an Echo device. Although the company has already launched its new line of Echo-inspired speakers such as the Tap and Dot, the pre-orders currently seemed limited to Echo.
After Echo’s runaway popularity in the US, where it was first rolled out, Amazon made the right move to launch it in Britain. And the credit for this goes to Alexa’s capabilities, enabling users to perform a range of diverse tasks. After activating the virtual assistant with a simple “Alexa” prompt, the Echo works as an amazing gateway to connect users to their smart home appliances.
With the introduction of the Alexa Skills Kit, Amazon has made the right move to pull more buyers. These skills allow Alexa to work with third-party services such as Uber and Dominos, making way for a large number of third-party integrations. With the ability to control smart locks to ordering a ride from Uber, Alexa can manage various aspects of users’ smart-homes and daily schedules.
We believe after the launch of Echo in the UK, the company should consider making it available in other international markets, triggering immense competition. Ever since the rollout of Echo in 2014, tech giants such as Google and Apple have begun working on their own versions of an Echo competitor. Only recently, Google confirmed that it hired a handful of Nest Labs’ engineers to help improve its future Google Home platform prior to its launch.
While Echo enjoys an edge in markets thanks to its early launch, chances are that the emergence of Google Home might give it a tough competition.
