I think the founders undermined this product with their launch strategy, first showcasing it on a TED talk briefly without fully exposing the hardware, then about a month later in a fashion show? Then now they make this half baked video that immediately goes into talking about the hardware yet the whole selling point of the device is the software Ai capabilities.
People have been eagerly waiting to hear what this secretive startup company has been working all these years, especially after the recent funding rounds. All of this to be disappointed with a half baked v1 and launch video.
All that aside, I think it's brave of them to enter a competitive market and introduce a unique product that could have potential but at this price point, I'll have to pass. Hope future iterations get better and continues to grow.
Congratulations to all the team at Humane who's been working on this over the years, especially those who took the risk of leaving Apple to join a startup.
Had the same feeling. This had all the hallmarks of vaporware for me - something was introduced in a TED talk (that's a personal turn off). No clear definition or description. Then the fashion show, and for what? Building "buzz"? About what? Then I started hearing some chatter about it but still no info on what it is. I felt like someone wanted me to get excited about it but provided no value whatsoever.
Now, this thing's introduced and what? The laser interface seems clunky, no idea how it holds up on a bright day outside. Most of the interactions are done by voice which, at least for me, have never been satisfactory on way more powerful and polished devices. Then there's the privacy - I'm assuming that for this thing to work I need to give it access to everything. How long has this company been operating and battle testing its security? How good or bad its track record is with regard to selling my data? And yes, I know that my smartphone already knows everything about me. But those things are built by either Apple or Google which at least have some track record and I know what I can expect from them, more or less.
I still don't understand what am I getting here? What's the revolutionary, exciting thing? The AI? The lasers? The voice interface? The always-on-your-person?
If I remove the lasers, add a screen and a OpenAI/whateverLLM interface & integration I get what? An Apple Watch (or Google or whatever) that's 1-2 years out probably.
What's nice however that they're trying things. The laser thing does seem cool.
I couldn't agree with you more. The release strategy was...confusing? I guess is the best way to word it. But even this launch video which is supposed to introduce this groundbreaking new device to replace the smartphone feels homemade. The speaking is unnatural and too practiced, the awkward silences of waiting for a response feel uncomfortable. For a company named Humane, I'm getting uncanny valley vibes.
But I also understand this is how many new technologies releases go (lots of WTFs and lots of oohs and aahs). I think it really has potential, but the team will have to be adaptive and quick to respond to make sure the Pin can really grab hold of what the consumer wants.
People have been eagerly waiting to hear what this secretive startup company has been working all these years, especially after the recent funding rounds. All of this to be disappointed with a half baked v1 and launch video.
All that aside, I think it's brave of them to enter a competitive market and introduce a unique product that could have potential but at this price point, I'll have to pass. Hope future iterations get better and continues to grow.
Congratulations to all the team at Humane who's been working on this over the years, especially those who took the risk of leaving Apple to join a startup.