Amazon is strengthening itself in home automation by acquiring iRobot, the specialist in robot vacuum cleaners. A sale which takes place in an increasingly competitive market and which is already raising many concerns…
Amazon announced, in a press release, that it is in the process of acquiring the company iRobot, known for its robot vacuum cleaners, and more particularly its Roomba range. The e-commerce giant has thus disbursed approximately 1.7 billion dollars. It is Amazon’s fourth largest acquisition, after Whole Foods Market, MGM and One Medical. It is very likely that the activities of iRobot will not change, if we rely on the example of Ring, the specialist in home surveillance bought by the firm in 2018 for a sum between 1.2 and 1 $.8 billion. Incidentally, iRobot CEO and Chairman of the Board, Colin Angle, will remain in his role once the sale is complete.
“We know saving time is important and that household chores take up valuable time that can be better spent doing something customers love.“said Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices.”For many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent the way people clean with incredibly convenient and inventive products, cleaning when and where customers want it while avoiding common obstacles around the home, the automatic emptying of the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent ways to make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.“
With iRobot, Amazon offers itself a place of choice in home automation
As a reminder, iRobot had started by creating robots for military and scientific purposes before moving, in 2002, towards robot vacuum cleaners for individuals. One of the first robots on the market, the Roomba, has also enjoyed strong commercial success, and the brand remains the best known in the sector as well as the best manufacturer, with a market share of 46% of global sales in 2020. However , the market is becoming more and more competitive with the arrival of Chinese brands, which also offer very good products, but at affordable prices. iRobot will now be able to stand out by improving its range thanks to the know-how of Amazon, but also to the influence and power of the e-commerce giant, which, in addition to being a key player in distribution, is a expert in robotics and home automation. We are thinking in particular of its Echo connected speakers, Ring surveillance cameras and Fire TV boxes. Last year, it also unveiled Astro, a companion robot with a telescopic camera that can monitor the home.
Amazon is not to be outdone since, thanks to this purchase, it offers itself a strategic place in the market for robot vacuum cleaners. In addition, he will be able to get his hands on the maps generated by iRobot, and thus have a more in-depth knowledge of the houses – and therefore know what is most likely to be sold to the customer. He will be able to know the detailed plans of the accommodation and their evolution – where is the kitchen, how many bedrooms for children there are, if the office has become a bedroom, etc.
Amazon and iRobot: a purchase that strongly divides
This takeover is the continuation of the company’s policy aimed at establishing a long-term presence in homes and becoming a key player in home automation. The tech giant’s appetite seems insatiable. Amazon now has four smart home brands, in addition to its Alexa platform, bolstered by Echo connected speakers and displays: home security company Ring, budget camera company Blink and Eero. But that’s not the only goal. With ever more data collected by connected devices, the e-commerce giant will be able to monitor its customers and encourage them to consume more.
Many are also concerned about the implications of this acquisition in terms of confidentiality. It must be said that Amazon is not all white in terms of data sharing. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, Ring connected surveillance cameras and doorbells sparked controversy over a data sharing policy that was a little too conciliatory with the American authorities. Likewise, the media The Intercept had revealed that offices inside the Ring company are dedicated to the storage and viewing of private images of their customers, which can be consulted at any time by employees of the company -, which does not should have been possible only with the agreement of the customers. And that’s not counting the Echo connected speakers, which “listen” to start. The question is whether customers will sacrifice their privacy for comfort. Note that the sale must receive the agreement of the various global regulatory agencies in order to be finalized.