It’s hard to not agree with this:
So, is the AI device category dead? No. I just think the fad of it has gone to pasture and now it’s time for companies to take it seriously.
The form factors of both Humane and Rabbit have clearly not been the hits we wanted them to be, but for different reasons. First, the AI Pin seems to be an overheating, slow device that underdelivers on the distraction-free vision the team had. And second, the R1 is at least a lot cheaper, but with it comes another screen that is unnecessary when your smartphone is right there.
Honestly, I think Meta is on the right track with its Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. The image-based AI functionality helped me so much during my time in Costa Rica, and implementing assistance into your regular wearable tech seems to be the right direction.
We will probably see even more wacky devices dressed up to the nines for AI like these two, but remember one thing — if ever you see one, really question whether having that thing will be better than the phone you already have.
I still anticipate a surge in consumer wearables and robots, but the most groundbreaking devices will need to enter the market as disruptors and then continue rapidly disrupting - just to survive. Products won’t have the luxury of entering the market and gradually evolving over multiple product cycles. AI is evolving faster than any technology we have ever seen. It is enabling and then crushing companies in weeks, not years.
