“Amazon has reportedly agreed to acquire smart home company Ring for more than $1 billion, according to Reuters,” Natt Garun reports for The Verge. “Ring is best known for selling its connected doorbells, security cameras, and floodlights, while Amazon introduced its own line of smart home solutions last fall with the Amazon Cloud Cam and Amazon Key.”
“Like many of Amazon’s previous acquisitions, Ring is expected to continue to operate under its own branding and integrate product features into core Amazon products — just as Whole Foods has begun selling 365-branded products on Amazon’s Prime delivery service, while Twitch and Audible run independently from Amazon.com,” Garun reports. “‘We’re excited to work with this talented team and help them in their mission to keep homes safe and secure,’ an Amazon spokesperson tells The Verge. With the emphasis on security, it is likely that Amazon is buying Ring to integrate more home surveillance features onto its Echo line of smart speakers, or enhance its Cloud Cam product.”
Garun reports, “Meanwhile, Ring is responding to users on its Twitter page after news of the acquisition, noting that HomeKit support is expected to be forthcoming.:
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yet another typically smart move by Jeff Bezos.
First Blink, now Ring. Maybe Amazon wants to see who our friends are. Facial recognition from a doorbell camera. Now that’s a scary thought.
I didn’t get a Nest because goog bought it. But I already have a Ring doorbell, and it is pretty good. Apple should develop a security system. Seems it would be easy enough for Apple to do.
I have a RING doorbell, but now I am thinking about getting rid of it. Google and Amazon really have poor track records for privacy.
Hope Apple comes up with a doorbell system.
Now I know for sure the Skybell was the right choice. Plus, I hate paying monthly fees.
I looked at buying a ring but there far too many bad reviews and lots of folk experienced terrible customer service
The only time I needed to contact ring support, they were on top of it. The only complaint I have about the product, is there is a small delay connecting to live view on the cams. Other than that, it works absolutely flawlessly. I have both the Ring Doorbell 2, and the Spotlight solar cam.
Bollocks. I just installed one. Fortunately Amazon can’t spy on me too much with the front door video and sound.
However the unit is on my WiFi network.
A billion dollars for a doorbell?
Beats me.
Not a doorbell. Another home spy to gather data about anyone who enters your home.
Let’s hope Apple doesn’t follow with a doorbell and thermostat. Then we would know for sure that they are out of original ideas and have sold out their values to join the unscrupulous “big data” high tech spy racket. Apple already funds Google and Amazon so this kind of stuff happens– your iCloud rental fees support them.
A billion dollars for a video doorbell?
I think they saw them coming.
Have a Ring doorbell and it works great.i am not satisfied with this Amazon move as I don’t trust this company (like Google and Facebook) because of their privacy policy. Too bad that good products eventually end like this. Now I will search for an alternative, ideally without subscription and local storage and/or Dropbox integration.
What is the point. $1Billion wtf – why didnt they just make the echo door bell to go with the show / spot.
More money then sense.
Besides who answers the door- its double glazing people, charity workers wanting donations for sex tourism or the odd jehovah’s witness. Who needs a ring door bell to shout F off.