Amazon
Amazon’s Glow is no more. The tech giant has discontinued the children’s device, which featured an 8-inch display and a projector that could display games on a mat, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
You can no longer buy the Glow on Amazon’s website. According to Bloomberg, the device went on sale Tuesday for $150 (was $300) before being listed as unavailable later that day.
The publication cited slow sales as the reason for the product’s demise. It also noted that the device is targeting remote connectivity as pandemic-related restrictions eased. Amazon announced Glow on September 28, 2021, before it was available by invitation only, followed by general availability in March.
“We are constantly evaluating the progress and potential of our products to deliver customer value, and we make regular adjustments based on those assessments,” Kristy Schmidt, an Amazon spokesperson, told Bloomberg. “We will be sharing updates and guidance with Glow customers soon.”
The Glow allowed children to video chat, draw and play games with family members remotely via the 8-inch display. It also projected onto a 19-inch mat for children to interact with. One obvious drawback was the requirement of an Amazon Kids+ subscription to play games and access other content, such as books and art. The service costs $5 per month. Glow came from Amazon’s Grand Challenge lab, which makes experimental products.
Some reviewers praised Glow’s innovation, but some, like PCMag, also lamented Glow’s reliance on a subscription and phone or tablet, given its high price. And some reviewers, including CNET and The Verge, noted glitchy behavior.
Amazon employees who had focused on Glow are being relocated elsewhere within the company, Bloomberg reported.
As the publication noted, other recently reported measures by Amazon seemingly aimed at keeping costs down amid slowing retail sales include warehouse closures and, according to a Bloomberg report yesterday, a hiring freeze on jobs in the United States. retail.
Amazon’s Glow device will meet other Amazon devices sent to product hell, including the Amazon Smart Oven Convection Oven/Air Fryer/Microwaves announced in 2019 and the FireOS-based Fire Phone, which Amazon shut down in 2015.
