Amazon runs the largest online store in the United States and rents cloud computing to businesses and governments through Amazon Web Services. AWS pioneered renting computing power over the internet, and Amazon built its own delivery network to get orders to customers quickly. Shoppers buy from Amazon and from independent sellers on its store, and Prime members pay a subscription for fast free shipping, streaming video and music, and other perks. AWS rents out computing power, storage, databases, and AI tools so companies can run software without owning servers, and Amazon also makes Kindle e-readers and Echo speakers with the Alexa assistant. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, and it is based in Seattle, Washington.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
Founded
1994
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Amazon is betting that ambient computing, not apps, will define personal AI. Panos Panay, the company's senior vice president of devices, said so on Thursday at TechCrunch Disrupt, where Amazon launched new Bee AI wearables. Ambient devices work quietly in the background, using sensors and AI to work out what needs doing. Panay said this lets users stay present and spend more time with people. The Bee line includes a band worn on the wrist or as a pendant, and a credit-card-sized device that attaches magnetically to a smartphone. They passively record audio and pull out to-dos and reminders. Raw audio is processed in real time and deleted, and transcripts are encrypted with keys the user controls. Panay expects a generation that asks devices to understand its needs rather than requesting an app. He does not expect one form factor to replace another.
Amazon has launched two new Bee listening devices as it pushes further into AI hardware. The $75 Bee Frontier, an upgraded wearable, is available now, while the $100 Bee Eclipse, a credit card-sized recorder that snaps magnetically onto a smartphone, will be available soon. The Frontier replaces a $50 model, keeps up to seven days of battery life, and adds better noise filtering. These are the first Bee updates since Amazon acquired the startup in July 2025. Bee devices record continuously to summarise conversations and recall past discussions. A Bee Pro subscription costs $12 per month and adds unlimited summaries and integrations with Alexa+ and third-party apps. Amazon says no audio is stored and no one, including Amazon, can access user data.
Amazon-owned Bee has launched two AI devices, its first new products since the retail giant acquired it last year. The Bee Frontier, a wearable for the wrist or clothing, costs $74.99, while the credit-card-sized Bee Eclipse, which attaches magnetically to a smartphone, costs $99.99. Both devices turn everyday conversations into notes, to-dos, summaries, and calendar invites. The Eclipse competes with the Plaud Note ($159) and Pocket ($129), though its price is not the lowest of the three. Summaries and 14 days of memory are free. A $11.99 monthly Bee Pro plan adds unlimited summaries and links to Amazon.com, Alexa+, and third-party apps. Bee says it deletes raw audio after processing and encrypts transcripts with keys users control. The Frontier is available now on Amazon; the Eclipse follows soon.
Amazon has launched three Alexa-branded tablets that run Google's Android and carry prices of $229.99 to $549.99, abandoning the low price that defined its Fire line. The Alexa Tablet 8 costs $229.99, the Tablet 11 costs $329.99, and the Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 ($549.99 with an anti-glare Nanomatte finish). The devices have the full Google Play Store, stronger processors, better screens, and aluminium bodies. Apple's standard iPad costs $449, so the Pro now starts above it. Amazon is betting its Alexa+ AI assistant, built into the tablets, will justify the higher price. The move comes as Amazon's global tablet market share fell to 1.9% in the second quarter of 2026 from 8% a year earlier, according to Reuters.
Amazon is closing an unspecified number of grocery partner storefronts on Amazon.com, the company confirmed on Tuesday. It said the move will simplify online shopping and reduce friction, and it will guide shoppers to the best grocery options on its marketplace. Separate storefronts forced shoppers to deal with varying fees, delivery windows, and checkout experiences. Partners have included Winn-Dixie, Metropolitan Markets, and Weis Markets in the US, and Morrisons in Europe. Amazon did not say which partners will be affected. Amazon will instead work with grocers on other services, such as hosting Amazon Lockers and using AWS cloud services. A limited number of jobs are affected, and Amazon is helping those staff find new internal roles. The company offers same-day fresh grocery delivery in more than 2,300 US cities and towns, plus parts of Tokyo and London.