Amazon’s new hardware strategy sounds an awful lot like Apple’s – 9to5Mac

Amazon recently introduced Alexa+, its big AI upgrade to the popular assistant. But there’s a hardware transformation in the works too, per a new report, and it sounds a lot like Amazon’s upcoming devices will follow the Apple playbook.Today at Bloomberg, Mark Gurman reported on Amazon’s plan to transform its hardware division.Joining Alexa+ as a new era for Amazon software, devices chief Panos Panay is planning a new era for hardware too.Panay is pledging to reengineer Amazon’s hardware, from the gadgets’ silicon guts to the design and materials. Whether they fall into the “entry, core or signature” tier, he said, they’ll get the same care and attention. The speakers will sound better, battery life will improve, and the devices will boast the best security available, Panay said.“I want perfection in every single product that we ship — period,” he told Bloomberg News, while providing few specifics. “There won’t be a corner cut.”Panay was previously head of Microsoft’s hardware division, where he led the launch of the successful Surface line of products.Now at Amazon, he aims to bring care and attention to the company’s devices in what seems to be a very Apple-like approach.Some other key tidbits from Gurman’s article include:Amazon has historically been content shipping low-cost, low-quality hardware, so this sounds like a major shift for its device strategy.We won’t see the fruits of the company’s new approach until this fall, per the report. However, I’m curious to see what the company can achieve under Panay’s direction.What do you think about Amazon’s new device strategy? Let us know in the comments.FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/amazons-new-hardware-device-strategy-sounds-like-apples/