Amazon's New Echo Shows Face Backlash Over Forced Ads and Design Concerns

BigGo Editorial Team
Amazon's New Echo Shows Face Backlash Over Forced Ads and Design Concerns

Amazon's recent announcement of the Echo Show 21 and updated Echo Show 15 has sparked significant controversy within the tech community, primarily due to the company's recent implementation of mandatory advertisements and questions about design philosophy.

Mandatory Advertisements Spark User Frustration

The introduction of non-optional advertisements on Echo Show devices has become a major point of contention among existing users. Despite Amazon's promotion of these devices as helpful household organizers and entertainment hubs, community feedback suggests a growing dissatisfaction with the advertising-heavy experience.

We have the previous biggest Echo Show display prominently mounted in the kitchen. Up until about a month ago, we just had the annoyance of periodically having to disable some new channel... Now, however, it shows Amazon product ads in the rotation and that can't be turned off.

Design and User Experience Concerns

Critics have pointed out fundamental issues with Amazon's approach to design, noting that the company's aesthetic choices often prioritize functionality over form. The new devices' interface has been criticized for featuring multiple drop shadows, redundant information display, and a significant portion of screen real estate dedicated to advertisements. This becomes particularly problematic for wall-mounted displays that are meant to blend with home décor.

Privacy and Platform Control

The community discussion reveals growing concerns about data privacy and platform control. Users are increasingly wary of having large smart displays that could potentially collect extensive household data. Some users report keeping their devices unplugged most of the time, only connecting them when specific features are needed.

Price Point and Value Proposition

With price tags of $300 and $400 for the Echo Show 15 and 21 respectively, users are questioning the value proposition of these devices. Unlike previous Echo devices that were often viewed as subsidized hardware, these new models represent a significant investment that many feel is difficult to justify given the advertising-centric experience.

The community's response to these new Echo Show devices highlights a growing tension between Amazon's business model and user expectations for premium smart home devices. While the hardware specifications show improvements in areas like audio quality and video calling capabilities, the mandatory advertisement integration appears to be overshadowing these enhancements.

Source Citations: Amazon introduces Echo Show 21, its largest smart display ever—and all-new Echo Show 15

Modern smart devices like the Echo Show are intended to enhance user experience, but recent frustrations reveal challenges in their value proposition
Modern smart devices like the Echo Show are intended to enhance user experience, but recent frustrations reveal challenges in their value proposition