If the hardware market is already difficult, first-generation products from startups are noticeably more so, regardless of how much money and enthusiasm has been mustered. Given all this, it will probably surprise few that Humane's upcoming release Hey Pin has been delayed a bit, from March to “mid-April,” according to a new video from the Bay Area startup's media chief, Sam Sheffer.
In the video, with a Sorkin-style walk and talk, he explains that the first units are scheduled to “start leaving the factory at the end of March.” If Humane meets that deadline, “priority access” customers will begin receiving the unit sometime in mid-April. Meanwhile, the remaining pre-orders should arrive “shortly after.”
Humane garnered a lot of buzz long before its first product was announced, courtesy of the time given to its founders at Apple and some appropriately cryptic pre-launch videos. The Ai Pin was finally presented at an event in San Francisco in early November, where the portable device could be seen and practiced in a controlled way.
The device is the first prominent example of what will likely be a growing trend in the world of consumer hardware, as more startups look to tap into the hot world of generative AI for new form factors. Humane is positioning its product as the next step for a space that has been stuck in the form factor of smart phones for more than a decade.
Of course, this will also almost certainly be the year of “AI smartphones,” that is, phones that leverage the GPT models of platforms from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft to offer new methods of interacting with devices. of consumption.
For its part, Humane has a lot at stake in this release. So far, the company has raised about $230 million, including last year's $100 million Series C. There is a lot to be said for delaying a product until it is ready for the consumer. While early adopters are, to some extent, familiar with first-generation bugs, there is always a limit to that patience. At the very least, a product like this should do most of what it's supposed to do.
During CES, the company announced that it had laid off 10 employees, representing 10% of its total workforce. It's not a huge number for a startup of that size, but it is absolutely remarkable when it happens in a well-funded company at a time when it needs to project confidence to both consumers and customers. investors.
The Ai Pin is currently available for pre-order for $699. Those who do so before March 31 will get three months of the device's $24 monthly subscription service for free.
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