Club Benefits
Earlier this year, rumors popped up claiming Amazon was trying to revive the long-dormant Fire Phone in a new secret project dubbed "Transformer." The new device would integrate with Amazon Alexa and other Amazon services.
This week, in a new interview, Amazon's head of devices and services, Panos Panay, said that the company is "not necessarily" working on a smartphone, but he didn't entirely shut the door.
"It’s just not the goal. I know there’s a lot of rumors out there," Panay said.
He went on to note that he thinks the phone form factor isn't going away anytime soon, but that it will go through a major transformation (a hint?) in the next 10 years.
This seems like a direct reference to the bevy of AI devices that have launched in the last couple of years and are yet to come, where the promise was that people wouldn't have to look at their phones as much. It's basically what OpenAI's Sam Altman has promised regarding the company's forthcoming Jony Ive-designed AI devices.
"It's not necessarily [that] we're going after a phone, no." Panay continued. "There's no clear path that makes sense."
A "Transformer" future?
But Panay didn't entirely shut the door, "There's always opportunity, but right now, no."
Panay's winding answers hint that Amazon might not launch a new Fire phone soon, but it could be working on something that won't quite be a smartphone as we know it. All we really know about the "Transformer" project is that Amazon is reportedly exploring both smart and "dumb" phone designs and that Alexa Plus AI will be a core component.
Panay did admit that "there's a whole new set of form factors that we're working on" when asked about wearables.
Still, it sounds like Amazon's terrible experience with the Fire Phone, which sold only 140,000 units, and Panay's own past with the Surface Duo mean the company isn't in a hurry to explore past traumas.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.
More from Tom's Guide
