New Amazon Echo May Look A Lot Like The iMac G4

Amazon's next Echo will have Alexa speaking on the kitchen counter – so says rumors which paint this as a higher-end device. This next Amazon device would fit in with the rest of the Echo-branded smart home assistant products. It would have a display that would allow interaction not unlike a tablet, but the display is able to tilt up for a standing user.

The vague description of this device reminds us of an iconic desktop computer from a few years ago. This iMac G4 didn't have a touchscreen, but it certainly turned the desktop computing world on its head. All-in-one wont likely be the route Amazon will take – this next device will be more akin to a tablet that's meant to sit still.

Rumor comes from Bloomberg where it appears that data builds on an insider tip from earlier this year. Back in May, the Wall Street Journal suggested Amazon's Lab126 was working on a device with a tablet-like display that ran Alexa. The big difference in the tips coming now is the added ability to tilt this screen – like magic!

This display that'll inevitably sit on some sort of stand-like hardware is tipped to have speakers, too. It'll need at least one microphone to work with Alexa, and it's suggested that its speakers wont be terrible. This device is rumored to be coming soon – probably in early 2017.

At the time at which the device is launched, it'll be listed at the top of the tower of Amazon Alexa-infused devices. It'll probably cost more than $180, which is what the Amazon Echo costs now. This device will be the kitchen companion you never knew you needed, and might very well forget how you did without by the time half of next year is done.

This companion's release might be right on time, too. What with a whopping 60,000 food recipes now inside Alexa's knowledge base, it's clearly kitchen time.