Amazon's Fall Hardware Debut Is Set for Sept. 24

September has been chock-full of tech launches and announcements so far (mostly virtual, naturally, since these are still covid times, after all). But the month’s not over yet: Amazon has revealed that it’s debuting its fall product line on Thursday, Sept. 24.

“The Amazon Devices & Services team invites you to join us (virtually) on Thursday, September 24, at 10 a.m. PT [1 p.m. ET], when we will share some news,” the company’s media invite reads.

Though Amazon’s keeping tight-lipped on what we can expect to see, it has historically used these events to unveil updated gadgets in its Echo line and highlight developments with its virtual voice assistant, Alexa. Its 2019 presentation showed off a whopping 14 new devices, so this year’s event has some big shoes to fill.

Some of 2019’s reveals were more or less expected, such as the debut of upgraded smart speakers like the Echo Studio, Echo Dot with an added clock, and the minuscule Echo Flex plug-in mini-speaker. But there were several surprises too, including Amazon’s first Alexa-enabled earbuds, the Echo Buds, and several smart gadgets, including its Echo Frames smart glasses and Echo Loop ring.

Considering that Amazon postponed its yearly Prime Day event earlier this summer, we’ll likely get news on when customers can expect those deals to go live as well. The Amazon rumor mill has been pretty dry these days, but there has been a bit of chatter about a possible Wi-Fi 6 version of the Eero mesh router, as CNET notes. So that may make an appearance too.

The event’s invitation-only, indicating that it may not be streamed to the public. Amazon opted to live-blog the details about last year’s product launch rather than stream the presentation, and they could decide to repeat that tradition Thursday.

With Google teasing a Nest-branded follow-up to its Google Home and Apple rumored to have a budget version of its HomePod in the works, the smart speaker market is heating up. And Amazon can’t afford to be complacent if it wants to keep pace with its competitors. This week’s event should give us a good look at how it’s planning on keeping its gadgets relevant as more and more smart-what-have-yous compete for space in consumers’ homes.

What kind of hardware would you like to see Amazon unveil later this week? Let us know in the comments. They’ve already branched out into off-the-wall stuff like a smart oven and a clip-on tracker for your pet...maybe a smart water bottle’s next? Or a smart planter? God knows my poor snake plants would appreciate that one.