One of the common themes here at Techdirt over the last 20 years is how in the digital and internet-connected era, the very meaning of “ownership” and “property” has changed — often for the worse. It simply takes a merger or an ill-timed firmware update to render something you thought you owned — completely obsolete.
Case in point: last fall Amazon announced that it would be selling its Astro robot for use as a security guard for businesses. The robots, which can patrol up to a 5,000 square foot area, start at a price tag of $2,350, with a $180 per month subscription charge. But eleven months after the announcement, Amazon has announced that they’re shutting the effort down and bricking the robots.
The robots will simply stop working on September 15, and unfortunately can’t be repurposed in any way (Amazon is providing free recycling for your expensive and now completely pointless $2,350 robot). Business subscribers will at least get a refund for their units and $300 in Amazon credit. All personal data will be wiped from the device by Amazon.
In a statement to The Verge, Amazon indicates that they’re shifting their attention to Astro robots for the home. Employees that worked on the business version will be migrated to that version:
“We are fully committed to our vision of bringing world-class consumer robotics solutions to the home. To accelerate our progress and ongoing research to make Astro the best in-home robot, we’ve made the decision to wind down support for Astro for Business. We’re excited about the in-home experiences we’re inventing for Astro, and look forward to sharing more in the future.”
The home version of Astro is now only available as a $1,600, invite-only preview. Hopefully those users don’t have the same experience another few months from now.
