Key insights of today’s newsletter: Recent product launches of the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 have been deeply disappointing. These disappointments expose a gap between how AI products are being marketed and hyped up vs. what they’re actually capable of.
I commented on a substack post in January about Rabbit based on the demo. I have not used the product, so all my observations may not be accurate.
It will have to overcome several challenges:
1. Voice User Interface. I am sure many people may like it, but not everyone. Siri, Alexa, and others have failed with Voice UI, and even Humane AI Pin is struggling.
2. Another device to carry (what is stopping someone from building a master app on iOS and Android to replace this over time, even if this device has some hardware/software advantage today?)
3. The price is very low compared to Humane AI Pin, but without any subscription model, they have to find ways to make money beyond selling more and more devices as all these AI calls and building/maintaining connectivity to all these services will become costly)
4. I read somewhere the quality of the speaker is not great, but hopefully, it will have a good quality with the headphones. At $200, you will expect compromises. What else has been compromised to keep the cost low?
5. Do not know if they will provide a way to build connectivity to other services so that whatever they do not want or cannot do, the customers/developers can create. Is there a way for developers to make money?
6. I am personally not a big fan of using another device to configure something, as generally, it expands to doing more things on the other device to make it work over time.
Agree with all your points. And the even bigger threat is of course if the big phone providers just put this type of functionality in the next version of Siri or the Google Assistant. Design-wise the Humane Pin is a really cool idea... the execution is horrible though. It's a shame really.
Yes, that’s what I was trying to say in #2, but you have stated better than I have done. I was accounting for both software manufacturers and 3rd party developers/vendors.
On the topic of AI-driven physical products in my opinion there has been an over focus on manufacturers and products, driven by technological developments, and a lesser focus on consumer behavior.
They were not exposed to what needs or desires this product could fill, to explain what it was capable of, to introduce it in the right way in their consumption basket. These are new product categories in people's minds, and perhaps not enough thought was given to creating an appealing category for the people who would buy it.
As much as they certainly target people who are 'technology enthusiasts', the attempts have not been judicious and careful, even in positioning and communication.
I commented on a substack post in January about Rabbit based on the demo. I have not used the product, so all my observations may not be accurate.
It will have to overcome several challenges:
1. Voice User Interface. I am sure many people may like it, but not everyone. Siri, Alexa, and others have failed with Voice UI, and even Humane AI Pin is struggling.
2. Another device to carry (what is stopping someone from building a master app on iOS and Android to replace this over time, even if this device has some hardware/software advantage today?)
3. The price is very low compared to Humane AI Pin, but without any subscription model, they have to find ways to make money beyond selling more and more devices as all these AI calls and building/maintaining connectivity to all these services will become costly)
4. I read somewhere the quality of the speaker is not great, but hopefully, it will have a good quality with the headphones. At $200, you will expect compromises. What else has been compromised to keep the cost low?
5. Do not know if they will provide a way to build connectivity to other services so that whatever they do not want or cannot do, the customers/developers can create. Is there a way for developers to make money?
6. I am personally not a big fan of using another device to configure something, as generally, it expands to doing more things on the other device to make it work over time.
7. The screen feels small but may be good enough.
Agree with all your points. And the even bigger threat is of course if the big phone providers just put this type of functionality in the next version of Siri or the Google Assistant. Design-wise the Humane Pin is a really cool idea... the execution is horrible though. It's a shame really.
Yes, that’s what I was trying to say in #2, but you have stated better than I have done. I was accounting for both software manufacturers and 3rd party developers/vendors.
Jurgen, thank you as always for these analyses!
On the topic of AI-driven physical products in my opinion there has been an over focus on manufacturers and products, driven by technological developments, and a lesser focus on consumer behavior.
They were not exposed to what needs or desires this product could fill, to explain what it was capable of, to introduce it in the right way in their consumption basket. These are new product categories in people's minds, and perhaps not enough thought was given to creating an appealing category for the people who would buy it.
As much as they certainly target people who are 'technology enthusiasts', the attempts have not been judicious and careful, even in positioning and communication.