Amazon Astro was first revealed in 2021, yet the homebot has been oddly quiet in the years following its debut. The device is still only available to purchase via invite, and it hasn’t made a whole lot of public appearances at conventions or press conferences. So, what exactly is going on with Amazon Astro in 2024? Does it have a release date? Have any new features been announced? And how will the shutdown of Astro for Business impact its development?
Astro for Business shutting down could be good news
Amazon discontinued Astro for Business this summer, telling users that the robots would be bricked on September 25. Buyers were refunded their original purchase and given a $300 credit for their troubles. As for the robots themselves, they’ll literally stop functioning on September 25, with no way to be repurposed or reprogrammed.
There is a bit of good news, however, as Amazon announced that the team working on Astro for Business will now pivot to work on Astro for Home. That could spell good news for the homebot, as a larger team should mean faster development or the introduction of unique new features.
What’s the competition doing?
A lot has happened since Astro was introduced in 2021. While Amazon has largely kept quiet about its plans, we’ve seen the launch of several competitors. This includes EBO X and the reveal of a revamped Samsung Ballie. Both of these are orb-shaped gadgets designed to interact with family members and control the rest of your smart home. Our EBO X review found the device to be less than perfect, but it brought some cool features to your home — including a 4K security camera and loads of smart home features.
Ballie, meanwhile, has a built-in projector, allowing you to broadcast images and videos to the floor, wall, or ceiling. Neither robot is quite as large as Amazon Astro, but they’re certainly capable little devices that’ll pose a serious challenge to Astro.
It’ll be interesting to see if Amazon takes any cues from these products and implements them into Astro. Astro looks massive compared to these tiny robots, so it definitely has space to add a projector or other hardware if needed.
What’s new with Astro in 2024?
While the landscape around homebots has changed drastically since 2021, little has been announced about Amazon Astro this year. The biggest news about the robot was the discontinuation of Astro for Business. Beyond that, we’ve seen no new features, no new designs, and no information about a possible release date. Amazon may try to implement some AI features into Astro to make it a more useful companion and conversationalist, though nothing official has been announced.
As folks previously working on Astro for Business now dive into Astro for Home, there’s a chance we’ll hear about their progress in the coming months. We’re hopeful Amazon will announce specific details about how the new members of the team will be helping with Astro’s development — or at the very least give us a timeline for its launch.
For now, however, we’re left knowing as much today as we did last year. Be sure to check out the official Amazon Astro store page for all the last details or to request an invite to possibly check out the gadget.
