Amazon axes Glow video-calling device for kids
- Amazon is discontinuing its video-calling device aimed at kids, the company confirmed to CNBC.
- The Amazon Glow enabled kids and family members to chat remotely and play games using a touchscreen projected by the device.
- Amazon has been curtailing expenses across the company as it grapples with an economic downturn and slowing retail sales.
Amazon will no longer sell its video-calling device aimed at kids, the company confirmed to CNBC.
At its annual hardware event last September, the online retail giant unveiled a curious-looking product, called Amazon Glow, that combined video calling with games. Kids could video chat with their loved ones, and the device projected graphics that responded to touch.
The $300 device was originally only available by invitation, but Amazon made it available to the wider public in late March. Now, just over six months after its wider rollout, the company said it will stop selling the Amazon Glow.
A product page for Glow on Amazon's website showed the device was "currently unavailable" as of Tuesday evening.
"At Amazon we think big, experiment, and invest in new ideas to delight customers," Amazon spokesperson Tim Gillman said in a statement. "We also continually evaluate the progress and potential of our products to deliver customer value, and we regularly make adjustments based on those assessments. We will be sharing updates and guidance with Glow customers soon."
Bloomberg earlier reported Amazon's decision to halt sales of Amazon Glow.
The move comes as Amazon curtails spending across the company amid fears of an economic downturn, and slowing retail sales.
Amazon is freezing hiring for corporate roles in its massive retail organization, and it's reassessing expansion in some areas of its fulfillment network. The company has also recently wound down projects that weren't performing as well as it hoped, including its Amazon Care telehealth service and several physical stores chains.
Amazon typically unveils a smattering of devices at its annual hardware events, many of which incorporate its Alexa virtual assistant, such as voice-activated microwaves and glasses. Its also been known to end products that fail to gain traction, such as the Echo Loop smart ring.