On April 15th, the tech industry is on the hunt for a revolutionary new consumer device that could potentially disrupt the ubiquitous smartphone. However, this is no easy feat.
Looking back, we can see some competitors that were once seen as disruptors. For instance, while voice-controlled smart speakers were once highly anticipated, their development seems to have hit a plateau. Similarly, tablets failed to become the PC replacement that companies like Apple hoped for. And devices like the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, while innovative, have yet to truly penetrate the mainstream market.
Against this backdrop, the new consumer device Ai Pin from Humane has garnered widespread attention. This startup boasts a stellar founding team, with several former Apple executives who were involved in the development of the iPhone and iPad. It's this background that has helped Humane attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment.
Humane doesn't shy away from its grand ambitions: they aim to replace smartphones with Ai Pin, or at least significantly reduce people's reliance on them. Priced at $700, Ai Pin is about the size of an Apple Watch Ultra and can be magnetically attached to clothing, resembling a smart speaker hanging in front of the chest. It ditches the screen, relying on voice and a small touch surface for control. Additionally, Ai Pin can project images onto the user's palm via lasers. While the device itself has limited battery capacity, a "battery enhancer" worn under the shirt helps extend its battery life.
In testing by seasoned analyst Mark Gurman, he found that the AI technology on Ai Pin is on par with other generative AI systems on the market. For example, Ai Pin can typically understand and respond to contextually relevant questions accurately. Moreover, the device's visual capabilities are impressive, being able to identify and describe objects or rooms, which greatly enhances accessibility.
However, Ai Pin is far from perfect. In practical use, it sometimes lags in response and even fails to recognize necessary touch gestures to initiate commands. Overheating is also a concern, and there are currently some missing key features like timer and calendar control (though these are said to be forthcoming). More importantly, Ai Pin currently lacks access to third-party applications and struggles with battery life, even with the battery enhancer.
Gurman encountered a host of other issues during his testing of Ai Pin. It not only fails to connect to cellular networks at times but also occasionally fails to respond to commands. Its touchpad fails to accurately register input, and the laser projection on the palm only presents a faint orange vertical line instead of the expected green interface. Although Humane acknowledges that this device is only in version 1.0, users generally feel it's even more rudimentary than that.
Setting up Ai Pin also presents challenges. Gurman had to restart the device multiple times to get it working properly initially. More bafflingly, every time a user attempts to input a PIN, the system prompts for a password, and the swipe card operation involved is challenging for novices, requiring time to adapt gradually.
Most frustratingly for users, the password interface sometimes disappears abruptly, rendering the device unusable until the reboot method is found.
But the issues with Ai Pin go beyond frequent malfunctions, incomplete features, or short battery life. There are fundamental flaws in its basic design and interaction.
We must face a reality: relying entirely on voice control and laser projection systems for daily operations is impractical for most people. They prefer traditional interaction methods rather than this newfangled tech experience.
Voice interactions are cumbersome and inefficient. They may be useful when you're alone or need to act quickly, but they fall short of meeting the daily needs of most people.
Although Apple's smart voice assistant Siri may outperform the current Ai Pin in some aspects, it's not enough to change the status quo of most people avoiding using voice assistants to operate their phones. Android users also rarely handle most tasks through Google Assistant. Interest in Alexa and smart speakers is waning, with one significant reason being that they are not a practical user interface.
As for laser projection displays, this method appears clumsy and difficult to expand functionality. Any new interface takes time to adapt to, but the laser projection system on Ai Pin presents particularly acute challenges for users.
When the first-generation iPhone was introduced, Gurman also spent time learning to use it, taking about a week to master the touchscreen keyboard. Such a learning curve was acceptable.
However, the situation with using Ai Pin is different. Even if you have mastered navigation operations, completing any task still requires a significant amount of time. You need to tilt your palm to control the interface, a maneuver that's as difficult to control as moving a marble on a pinball machine. No matter how many attempts you make, the lack of precision is always frustrating.
Furthermore, laser displays perform poorly in especially bright lighting conditions and often fail to display properly when needed. These factors undermine the persuasiveness of Humane's marketing message trying to root people more in the real world.
Another drawback of Ai Pin is its need to be attached to clothing. If you're in climate conditions that require frequent clothing adjustments (such as sweaters, jackets, coats, etc.), keeping the pin secure becomes a headache. In sunny California, Gurman didn't encounter major issues, but it's easy to imagine that this will soon become a major concern for users in colder climates. Another unsettling factor is privacy concerns. When someone sees a small device with a camera attached to your shirt, they may feel uneasy. They might worry about being recorded, much like they would with a personal camera, and thus be reluctant to engage in normal conversation with you.
Humane has taken some considerations in this regard. The company claims this device comes with a "trust light" that indicates when it's recording. Additionally, Humane states that it won't capture audio or any images unless you press the touchpad. However, any new tech company must assure users of its commitment to privacy, and Humane still needs to work on building that trust.
While Ai Pin is seen as a replacement for smartphones or an evolution of computers, Gulman isn't optimistic about its future. Nonetheless, he appreciates the team behind Ai Pin for their attempts at innovation and for building a system capable of integrating multiple AI engines and data sources. The suggestion for Humane to launch smartphone or smartwatch apps also stems from this reasoning. However, priced at up to $700 for the hardware alone, plus an additional 24-month service fee, Ai Pin falls short in terms of practicality and value for money.
In the best-case scenario, Ai Pin might become an extra accessory for enthusiasts willing to splurge on technology and AI. However, using it with existing smartphones isn't straightforward as it requires a dedicated phone number. Moreover, Humane refuses to release smartphone apps to assist with device setup and data access (such as stored notes and photos), undoubtedly adding to user difficulty. If the company could reposition the product and significantly reduce the price, there might still be hope.
Yet, Humane appears ambitious, aiming to create an integrated platform outside the existing iOS and Android ecosystems, making it harder for users to seamlessly incorporate it into their daily lives. Even with extensive marketing efforts, this fundamental issue is challenging to overcome.
