Amazon is getting closer to unleashing its Alexa-powered home robot – but some employees working on it are reportedly worried it will turn out to be a costly flop.
The tech titan has more than 800 employees working on the highly mysterious “Vesta,” a Roomba-like device that Insider says can roll around a house by following its owner’s voice commands.
But development delays and “changing strategies” have worried some executives that it could become an expensive niche product that few people will want to buy, the outlet reported Tuesday, citing six people directly involved in the project.
“People are very skeptical – we fear it could turn into a new Fire Phone,” a source told Insider, referring to the failed smartphone on which Amazon charged $ 170 million in 2014, the year it was released .
Named after the Roman goddess of the hearth, Vesta has reportedly been four years in the making under the auspices of Lab126, Amazon’s personal device unit that created the popular Kindle e-reader and personal assistant speaker Echo.
With a prototype coming in with a width of 10 to 13 inches, the gadget will likely be equipped with a screen, a microphone, several cameras and a small compartment to carry objects, sources told Insider.
It can also come with a retractable pole-mounted camera that can help its owner locate missing items such as wallets or keys, the report said.
But it’s reportedly unclear how popular it could be, given that its price tag could go up to more than $ 1,000. Amazon expects low sales and may initially make Vesta a “ limited invite-only product, ” mitigating the risk of unused inventory, Insider said.
Amazon has also tried to cut costs by relocating one of its Vesta suppliers from China to Mexico, but the switch led to manufacturing issues that are further pushing back the launch of the gadget, the outlet reported.
When asked about the Insider report, an Amazon spokesperson said the company is not commenting on “rumors and speculation.”