Tech journalists have started reviewing the first Humane "AI" Pins out of production, and as expected, they're a disaster—or, if you want to be nice about it, one of the most expensive proofs of concept in recent years.
That raises the second question: should you buy this thing? That one’s easy. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can’t think of anyone to whom I’d recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription. - The Verge, 2024
I've already argued that the Apple Vision Pro is exactly in the same boat. The difference, though? Apple can afford to sink billions in large-scale demos (although this will impact their brand at some point, just like not launching a car did).
Back to Humane: no normal tech startup going through any incubation program worldwide would be in this stupid position of having to burn through a truckload of money on a fully defined product without extensive MVPs and testing. The lesson seems obvious. Being a rockstar designer in the industry doesn't make you an even semi-proficient entrepreneur. Maybe thank Humane cofounders Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri for reminding would-be entrepreneurs of this harsh reality...
Me? I'd rather have seen their $240 million in funding spent elsewhere.
In case you want to watch this Titanic crashing into the iceberg of reality in real-time, here goes:
→ All this being said, I'm still much more interested in what Rabbit is doing... The demo will obviously be disappointing to some extent, but hopefully, it will be much better thought out.
Philippe MEDA
[ Edit ] Even more reviews coming in without the slightest surprise about how a disaster this product is...
