Last week, Amazon announced that it was introducing a physical One-Click button, in its ongoing effort to remove any friction or thought from the mindless ordering process. But one detail from the announcement escaped most people’s notice: the fact that Amazon wants to integrate its auto-buying technology into everything with a logic board.
The ‘Dash Replenishment Service‘, as Amazon’s plan for retail domination is known, is relatively simple: all your kitchen gadgets, from fridges to coffee machines, will be integrated into the Amazon service. The devices will either feature a physical Dash button built in, or circumvent the human altogether, and automatically order you more coffee or milk or beer when you’re running low.
It’s not a totally new idea — actually, I think The Stepford Wives had a fridge that nagged you when you’re running low on things. But the fact that Amazon has implemented its plan in the real world — and is encouraging manufacturers small and large to use it — is a bit more awesome/terrifying, depending on your point of view. It’s also a far better indicator of what Amazon ultimately wants to be — an effort-free retailer that takes your money without a second though, and delivers you goods and services without thinking about it.
Launch partners include some big names like Whirlpool, Brita, and Brother, but Amazon promises that you can integrate anything into DRS “with just 10 lines of code”. Oh yay. [Amazon]