Amazon is reportedly thinking about renaming its Echo smart speakers and displays to plain “Alexa.” This speculatively rumoured rebranding was found by product images on Amazon’s website, with the Echo Show 5 marketed as the Alexa Show 5. New names for devices like the Alexa Show 8 and Alexa Show 10 were also revealed. The mentions were subsequently taken down, however, which indicates that the rebranding effort is just beginning.
The hunt for this name shift began after a tip was given regarding the rebranding on the Echo Show 5 page. While most searches brought up the typical Echo Show 5 listings, one account managed to find the Alexa Show 5 page. Amazon has long sold its smart speakers under the Echo brand ever since the first device launch in 2014, and the voice assistant is named Alexa. The users sometimes colloquially refer to the speakers as “Alexa speakers” because of how widespread the name has become in voice commands.
Amazon’s spokesperson warned against reading too much into the incident, and that the company is conducting experiments to understand more about consumer search behavior for Echo devices. Nevertheless, the imminent release of Alexa Plus, an upgraded version of Alexa, leaves the door open for Amazon to rebrand its hardware. Alexa Plus will be released in a matter of weeks and will feature better AI capabilities to merge multiple services seamlessly.
The possible rebranding might be driven by the success of Alexa Plus, which aims to provide more natural and comprehensive assistance. If the test is successful, there could be a chance that Amazon may embrace the name Alexa more substantially and eliminate the Echo brand altogether.
Amazon’s decision to try out this rebranding comes as the company continues to expand its lineup of Alexa-enabled devices. Amazon has recently introduced the Echo Show 21, its largest smart display so far, and the Echo Show 15. The smart displays are now going to take the entertainment experience to a new level and introduce better audio capabilities. The Alexa and Alexa+ integration on these devices is going to make the smart home experience even more revolutionary by offering advanced features such as effortless and seamless music control and better video capabilities.
The rebranding could also be a sign that Amazon is planning to create a more unified brand identity for its smart home products. By naming the products more explicitly to reflect the voice assistant, Amazon may aim to make it simpler for consumers to identify and engage with its products. Any significant changes likely would be subject to consumer reaction and the performance of ongoing experiments, however.
For now, the rebranding is hypothetical and Amazon has no announced solid plans to eliminate Echo branding in lieu of Alexa across all its smart speakers and displays. The firm’s cautious move means that whatever changes will be carefully considered to ensure that they are fitting consumer preferences and enhancing the overall experience.
