A press release issued this morning by Amazon has shed some light on the big company’s next big move, which is to acquire the 2002 maker of the signature iRobot automated vacuum, the Roomba.
Since 2002, the little vacuum has been making the world of house chores a smidge easier with a line of automated vacuum cleaners that aren’t meant to just entertain bewildered dogs. Today, the Roomba maker iRobot has been subsequently acquired by Amazon, for a whopping $1.7 billion.
Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices, Dave Limp says “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” with, “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable,” over the massive merging of retailer and Roomba.
This news of course comes after the announcement last May of the Roomba getting more endgame equipment with a new OS to increase efficiency. Chairman and CEO of iRobot, Colin Angle supports the move with: “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead,” showing support from both sides of the massive acquisition.
While the acquisition still isn’t set in stone, it remains to be seen if Amazon has plans on keeping Roomba and other iRobot products in stores outside the marketplace, but enthusiasts of the robot vacuum brand will just have to wait and see how this plays out.
