Remember a few years ago when Amazon swore they were going to be able to replace all of their many delivery drivers, vehicles, and all of the associated costs with drones?
These little robots were supposed to bring our brown packages right to our doorstop.
If you’re wondering when that’s going to happen, well…you’re going to be waiting a little while longer. Possibly forever.
Amazon is only using drone delivery in two cities, but even there, it has severe limitations.
A big one is that it can only carry small items that weigh less than five pounds.
Even if they find something they can deliver, they’re often held up by wind, rain, cold, and heat. The opposite of a regular mailman, I guess.
Customers also have to be amenable to not having cars in their driveway and sometimes even laying down a large target. They have to be home to accept the deliveries, too, because they’re often not left in safe places.
Early adopters Dominique Lord and Leah Silverman say the $100 incentive hasn’t really been worth it.
“We don’t really need anything they offer for free. The drones feel more like a toy than anything – a toy that wastes a huge amount of paper and cardboard.”
Bezos did say that the technology would take years to roll out fully, but at the moment, it’s looking like another decade at least.
If they don’t decide to just scrap it in the meantime.
Even if they don’t, it seems like people in England, Seattle, and other rainy spots are probably out of luck.