Now you can buy a laptop with Alexa preinstalled

NelsonG · May 21, 2018

It was just matter of time, really. Amazon’s push to get its smart assistant on every piece of hardware imaginable now includes Windows 10 laptops, starting with Acer’s Spin 3 and 5 lines. Both include models sporting Alexa, currently available at retail.

Acer looks to be all in with the assistant — Alexa is coming to a number of other PCs from the company, including the Nitro 5 Spin gaming laptop and its all-one-ones in the coming weeks. Beyond that, the company’s also bring Alexa to a number of existing systems courtesy of a software update, arriving later this week.

In a press release, Alexa VP Steve Rabichin says the company is “delighted” to be working with Acer. Well, yeah. The PC space was a pretty clear next step for Amazon, having already established a strong foothold in the smart home space and slowly attacking the mobile market through third-party partnerships.

The company will, of course, be competing directly with Cortana. Microsoft’s assistant has attempted to establish Windows 10 as its primary stronghold. Apple, of course, brought Siri to MacOS some time back, while Google has been flirting with the form factor on its own devices like the Pixelbook.

From the sound of it, basic functionality doesn’t stray too far from what you’re already getting on the Echo, including things like the weather and smart home control. To really assert its presence, however, Alexa is going to have to offer some unique functionality that makes the laptops more than just an auxiliary smart speaker.