Amazon’s Echo, a smart speaker powered by Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa, has turned into one of the hottest tech items this holiday season. The Echo and the smaller Echo Dot are completely sold out on Amazon’s website and won’t become available until after the holidays.
The devices are capable of voice interaction and can be used to control smart home devices, place orders on Amazon and provide basic information from online sources. The skillset available to Alexa is constantly growing as third parties can offer so-called skills in Amazon’s Alexa Skills store.
Widely considered a novelty item for early adopters and tech lovers when first introduced in 2014, the Echo quickly proved its potential to become a mainstream hit. According to Statista estimates based on earlier data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Echo sales could surpass the five million mark this year, which is remarkable considering its limited availability in only three markets (US, UK and Germany).
For more interesting statistics about the smart future of home entertainment, please download our free market report "Smart Home: Home Entertainment".
This chart sums up some facts about Amazon's Echo speakers.