Amazon sets a date for its fall hardware event

Amazon is dusting off its gadget stage lights once again. 

The company has sent out invites for a press event in New York City on September 30 at 10 AM ET, and if the cryptic teaser images are anything to go by, Alexa and friends are about to get some new toys.

First up, smart money is on the Echo family. Earlier this year, Amazon unveiled Alexa+, a supposedly smarter, more conversational assistant powered by generative AI. 

But new software needs shiny hardware to live in, and it’s been a hot minute since the Echo Show or standard Echo got meaningful upgrades. 

Don’t be surprised if they end up front and center, with better microphones, smarter displays, and maybe some features designed to make Alexa+ less of a confused robot and more of a chatty roommate.

The invite also teases what looks like a Kindle flaunting color illustrations. Amazon already dropped the Kindle Scribe 2 and the Kindle Colorsoft earlier this year, so this could be a mashup, think e-reader with rainbow flair and handwriting support. 

The basic Kindle, which hasn’t seen love in ages, could also finally get its glow-up.

And then there’s the mysterious TV corner lurking in the graphic. Fire TV updates are practically guaranteed. 

Amazon’s streaming boxes and TVs tend to get their refresh in the fall, and this could be the year we see beefier processors or slicker interfaces. 

The Ring and Eero squads, Amazon’s doorbell cam and mesh Wi-Fi arms, might also sneak in announcements, because what’s an Amazon event without a dozen product categories elbowing for attention?

One thing to keep in mind: even if shiny new gadgets debut on the 30th, they won’t necessarily hit shelves right away. 

But the timing is suspiciously perfect, just a week before Amazon’s October Prime Day (October 7–8). Your reward for sitting through the keynote might just be steep discounts on older Echoes, Kindles, and Fire TVs.

Will Amazon’s rumored Alexa+ upgrade and new hardware finally make voice assistants genuinely useful for complex tasks, or are we still years away from AI assistants that can handle more than basic commands? Do you think Amazon’s timing of this event right before Prime Day is smart marketing, or does it make the announcements feel more like sales pitches than genuine innovation? Tell us below in the comments, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.