iRobot Offers New Roomba Models, Higher Prices, Mostly Same Features
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Tuesday, 9 of September , 2008 at 12:01 am
It’s been a little while since we’ve seen any new vacuum models from iRobot… After the 500 series, they haven’t done much besides adding accessories and cleaning kits, extending the warranty, extending battery life, changing the color, tacking on a big premium, and pretending they’ve got a brand new bot. They’ve just released three not much more interesting models: The 532 and 562, and the 610.
The 532 and 562 are “pet series” vacuums. What does this mean? As far as I can tell, they’re exactly the same as the Roomba 530 and 560, except that they come with an extra brush kit (a kit, not extra brushes in the bot) and a high capacity dust bin for $20 more. Oh, and I think they might say “Pet Series” on them somewhere. But are they really anything new? It does not appear so. The Roomba 532 and 562 retail for $349 and $399 respectively.
It’s pretty much the same deal on the 610… It’s a Roomba 580, except without a carrying handle and with a “heavy duty” charging base. And some other accessory-type things. The one new feature that the 610 does have is a “Max Mode” where “Roomba will clean until the battery is almost depleted then it will return to its Home Base for recharging.” I kinda thought that Roombas were supposed to work that way anyway, but what do I know? The premium for the “Pro” Roomba 610 over the 580 is about $70, at $599.
Full press release, after the jump.
iRobot Introduces Roomba Pet and Professional Vacuum Cleaning Robots
New iRobot Roomba Pet Series Perfect for Pet Owners; Roomba Professional Series Handles Larger Areas and Office Spaces
BEDFORD, Mass., (BUSINESS WIRE), iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) today introduced the newest additions to its line of vacuum cleaning robots, the iRobot Roomba Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot and the iRobot Roomba Professional Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot. Engineered and designed with pet owners in mind, the new iRobot Roomba 532 and 562 Pet Series Robots pick up even more pet hair and dander with the help of higher capacity sweeper bins and additional accessories. The new iRobot Roomba 610 Professional Series Robot cleans even the largest of areas, perfect for maintaining office spaces or large high traffic areas.
Help for Hairy Homes
The new Roomba Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robots make caring for a home with pets easier. The Pet Series robots come equipped with an extra set of easy-to-clean brushes, a high capacity sweeper bin for trapping even more pet hair, kitty litter or dander and cleaning tools for ensuring both sets of brushes remain free of debris so they can perform optimally. The sweeper bin holds three-and-a-half times more debris than the vacuum bin, and counter-rotating brushes reach deep into carpets to pull out pet hair and dander. The new iRobot Roomba Pet Series Robots are available immediately in the U.S. and range in price from $349 to $399.
The iRobot Roomba 532 Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot, priced at $349, cleans up to three standard-sized rooms on a single charge. It comes standard with two Virtual Walls that use infrared beams to confine and guide the Roomba from room to room and then return it to its Home Base when it is done vacuuming. The Roomba 532 also includes iRobot’s latest technological innovations, such as a light-touch bumper, advanced anti-tangle technology and the ability to transition from carpets to hard flooring with ease.
The iRobot Roomba 562 Pet Series Robot, priced at $399, comes with all of the same features found in the Roomba 532 model. In addition, it features an extra set of brushes and can clean up to four standard-sized rooms on a single charge. The Roomba 562 also includes an on-board scheduling function, so it can be programmed to automatically clean up to seven days a week, even when owners are away, and with the new high capacity sweeper bin, Roomba can pick up even more pet debris than ever before.
Going Pro
Designed for small business owners or those with larger areas to clean, the iRobot Roomba 610 Professional Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot features a high capacity sweeper bin, extra brushes and filters, and cleaning tools. It comes equipped with two interchangeable bins that can be utilized for either everyday cleaning or for picking up larger-than-usual amounts of debris. The Roomba 610 also comes with a convenient storage case to keep its extra accessories and sweeping bin organized and in one place.
Additionally, the Roomba 610 features Max Mode, which allows the Roomba to clean until the battery is almost drained, and then returns it to its Home Base, allowing the maximum cleaning effort possible in larger homes, offices or business settings. The Roomba 610 Professional Series retails for $599 and is the only iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaning robot to carry a two-year warranty.
The Roomba 610 features the same Roomba functionality customers have come to expect from iRobot. The Roomba 610 vacuums the entire floor, under and around furniture and along walls and adjusts automatically from carpets to hard floors. The Roomba 610 comes equipped with two Virtual Wall Lighthouses and also features durable paint and a bumper guard, providing a scratch resistant finish to the Roomba and more protection for furniture.
All Roomba Pet and Professional Series robots include iRobot’s patented three-stage cleaning system that automatically adjusts to effectively clean carpets and hard floors. Roomba’s intelligent cleaning system evaluates its environment more than 60 times per second so the robot is always delivering the right amount of cleaning power to your floor, regardless of the size of the room, or the size of the pet.
Availability
The new iRobot Roomba Pet and Roomba Professional Series robots are available immediately in the U.S. from www.irobot.com.
[ iRobot ]
Comments (1)
Category: Consumer
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Comment by Drew
Made Saturday, 17 of January , 2009 at 10:02 pm
I’ve been thinking about getting a Roomba for a long time now. Thanks for the info. I think I’m gonna break down and try it now!
Thanks,
Drew