Amazon has partnered with Germany-based water-filtration giant Brita to launch a new smart water pitcher.
Above: Brita
As with most products that come with “smart” as part of their branding, the $45 device is Wi-Fi enabled and sports a built-in feature that monitors the amount of water that passes through the jug’s filter. Then when the filter approaches the end of its life — after roughly 40 gallons of water — a new filter arrives courtesy of Amazon’s Dash Replenishment service. It’s basically designed to keep your drinking water fresh and save you from having to remember to replace the filter.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a major driving force behind several emerging products. At CES back in January, Samsung unveiled an eclectic mix of products such as smart fridges, while at MWC the previous week a Samsung spin-off company debuted smart shoes. And the previous week the major tech companies collaborated on a new IoT-focused standards group aimed at boosting interoperability.
That we now have a smart water jug in our midst should not be overly surprising, especially given that Amazon already offers a similar re-ordering service for other products such as print ink cartridges. So why not water filters too?
“We saw an opportunity to work with Amazon to make keeping up-to-date on filter changes effortless for Brita users,” explained Brita general manager, Ed Huber. “By integrating Wi-Fi connectivity into this pitcher so it can connect with Amazon Dash Replenishment, we’ve created an elegant, simple solution to eliminate that moment when you realize you didn’t re-order your filter.”
It’s also worth noting here that Brita been pushing its filter replacement cycle down with each new product launch, from purely manual, through an on-board digital counter that reminds you, and now to an automated system that completely removes the hassle of upgrading the filter. In several ways, the Amazon tie-up is the perfect scenario for Brita.