What Happened?
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Amazon has stopped making a security robot for small and medium-sized businesses just 8 months after its launch, to focus on home robots.
According to the report, Amazon launched Amazon’s Astro home robot in 2021, and then in November 2023 expanded the robot to business customers under the name Astro for business.
We have decided to phase out our support for Astro for Business to supercharge our work already underway to determine Astro as the best home robot, the spokesperson explained.
“In the coming weeks, Amazon will refund customers who purchased Amazon Astro for Business devices in full with their original payment method,” the product page says.
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Why it matters
Amazon’s decision is just the reflection of the market demand and the readjustment of product strategy. Even with a vast potential for the concept of ensuring the security of robots, after practical promotion, it is very likely to fail to achieve the expected commercial success and market acceptance. In contrast, the household robot field is quite popular and may have a great potential.
Processing customers who bought Astro for Business devices with a full refund safeguards Amazon’s good standing with its customers and reputation before the marketplace.
The market for home robots has tremendous potential, and Amazon’s action is likely to chart important market dynamics here as part of the overall convergence of smart home and artificial intelligence technologies.