Amazon Echo prices turn smart-speaker market on its ear

Amazon.com Inc. has triggered a race to the bottom in smart speakers. Amazon slashed prices on its new lineup of six Echo devices as part of its Black Friday promotions last month. The price drop for its entry-level Dot, to $30 from $50, helped make it the No. 1-selling product on the online retail giant's website over the Thanksgiving weekend. The new version of Amazon's original Echo speaker now sells for $100, roughly half the price of the first-generation device when it launched three years ago. That has forced rivals to react.