Amazon's new service: Delivery of orders by drones within 60 minutes.

Amazon has started expanding its drone delivery service in the United States to include new categories of products, such as iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, AirPods, and food thermometers. With this step, customers can now order over 60,000 eligible products for delivery via drones, which will be completed within 60 minutes or less from the time of ordering, provided that the customer is in a supported location. When ordering an eligible product, customers can choose drone delivery for an additional cost of $4.99. However, the product must weigh less than 5 pounds, so multiple heavy products cannot be ordered together for drone delivery. If your shopping cart is lighter than this weight and the customer lives in a supported area, they will need to confirm their preferred delivery location at their address, such as the entrance or their private courtyard. Amazon uses a digital map developed over two years to enable drones to accurately determine the location and time for parcel delivery. This map also allows the drone to know the estimated time to reach the address and deliver within a precise time window of up to five minutes. Upon arrival at the delivery point, the drone verifies that it is in the correct location with the correct parcel, then delivers it after ensuring the area is free of pets, cars, or people. However, if weather conditions are unfavorable and the drone cannot safely reach the destination, drone delivery will not be available as an option for the customer. Amazon relies on data from its own weather forecasting service to determine whether the drone can safely carry out the mission under those weather conditions.