Amazon Announces Product Event on February 26

Amazon has officially announced a product event in New York City on February 26, hosted by Panos Panay and the Devices & Services team. While the invitations provide minimal details, a notable blue swirly logo behind the phrase “You’re invited” hints at something Alexa-related. A closer look at the five different invitation designs reveals that they collectively spell out “Alexa,” further fueling speculation that Amazon will finally unveil its enhanced AI-driven digital assistant.

The launch of this new Alexa has faced significant delays. Initially introduced in September 2023, Amazon’s next-generation voice assistant, powered by large language models (LLMs), has yet to reach consumers. The company was expected to debut the improved Alexa in its usual fall hardware event in 2024, but reports suggested it was struggling to refine the technology for release. While Amazon has previously stated that the new Alexa would be a paid service, Reuters reports that it may initially be available for free.

This marks Panos Panay’s first major event since he joined Amazon from Microsoft in 2023, succeeding Dave Limp as head of Devices & Services. While he previously led a smaller event for the launch of new Kindles in October, this event could be a major milestone for Amazon’s ecosystem, which includes Echo smart speakers, Fire TVs, and more.