Latest news with #AiPin
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Consumer AI Gadgets Will Come With a Whimper, Not a Bang
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Where are all the artificial intelligence consumer gadgets? Even a year ago, it seemed tech companies were working to incorporate the technology into every physical device, from coffee makers to vacuums, making 'AI-powered' hardware seem like it would soon be as ubiquitous as 'battery-powered' electronics. Typically, tech conferences offer a glimmer of these futuristic toys. Not all of them end up hitting the market, but it's where we can dream a little about new pocket devices or household robots taking on a greater role in our lives. You may be interested in So it was a little disappointing last week at Asia's biggest artificial intelligence conference, Taiwan's Computex, to find hardly any mentions of consumer-facing tech. Most keynotes focused on enterprise applications of AI, such as agents or automated manufacturing. Walking around the exhibitors' hall, the only thing that caught my eye were wireless computer mice shaped like cats. A few things seem to have changed. For starters, there's the reality that hardware engineering presents an entirely different set of physical challenges compared to tinkering with AI software. And a global trade war also makes it a risky time to launch a new gadget when it's unclear if consumers are interested. Companies also may be starting to pick up on the fact that while Wall Street is awash with global hype on the AI boom, it isn't exactly a selling point on Main Street. If anything, some of the executives speaking at the conference threw cold water on the next generations of these AI-first consumer products. Asustek Computer Inc. co-Chief Executive Officer Samson Hu told Bloomberg News that it will take another year or more for AI-powered PCs to go mainstream because the technology isn't quite there yet and macroeconomic uncertainty is impacting people's spending. There have been few compelling use cases for AI PCs so far, despite the mountain of promotion. Meanwhile, the graveyard of AI hardware that was supposed to transform our lives is already growing. The Humane Ai Pin wearable device — launched last year to much hype about how it was going to replace the smartphone — ended up receiving brutal reviews while being a fire hazard. The startup, run by two former Apple Inc. employees, stopped selling the Ai Pin earlier this year and was sold for parts. The Rabbit R1 assistant is another cautionary tale of the false promises of these gadgets. But that doesn't mean the future of AI consumer products isn't coming. OpenAI made the major announcement last week that it is working with legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive to launch something that takes AI into the physical realm for consumers. But even the might of OpenAI's technology and Ive's design prowess make whatever it is a far from certain bet. There were perhaps some lessons for the future of such devices from the gathering in Taiwan. During his keynote speech, Qualcomm Inc. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon said that AI computers are at the phase where they will require the work of outside developers to make them appeal to consumers. The iPhone, for example, didn't take off immediately after it was launched. But it became essential to so many people because of the myriad apps developers built on top of it that we now use to hail taxis, order food or move around new cities. 'Really, the developer ecosystem is going to make this shift to AI PCs,' Amon said. He's right, and the same is true beyond just AI computers. For any revolutionary AI hardware device, and especially a smartphone killer, the more that global developers lead the charge to meet peoples' needs and solve small, everyday problems, the more likely they are to succeed. In this economy, maybe that doesn't mean repackaging the same old gadgets with shiny new AI labels. It means iterating and perfecting real use cases that incorporate the buzzy technology into devices and make our lives easier. And this will inevitably be a collective effort. AI is already transforming our world in small ways. I find asking ChatGPT to quickly translate phrases for me while on the go a lifesaver when navigating a new country. But I hardly want to shell out money to carry around a new device simply to access ChatGPT. The more the tech industry tries to slap AI onto everything and market it as a panacea for all our problems, the more I get a snake-oil salesman ick. The future of AI hardware won't come in a magical new gadget, it will be built by tackling these tasks one-by-one and not all at once. More From Bloomberg Opinion: This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Catherine Thorbecke is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia tech. Previously she was a tech reporter at CNN and ABC News. More stories like this are available on
Mint
23-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
OpenAI teams with Jony Ive on AI hardware? Here's what Ming-Chi Kuo reveals about the prototype
A new wave of excitement has been stirred in the tech world following reports of a collaboration between former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company led by Sam Altman. The partnership centres around a sleek new AI-powered device, currently in the prototype stage, with plans for mass production by 2027. According to respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who shared details in a recent post on X, the prototype bears a form factor slightly larger than Humane's Ai Pin, a compact wearable computer that struggled to gain market traction. Despite its size, the device is expected to exhibit the same minimalist elegance as Apple's iconic iPod Shuffle. Designed for ambient intelligence, the device is said to include cameras and microphones for environmental awareness. This would enable contextual interactions when worn around the neck, without the need for a built-in screen. Instead, it would leverage smartphones and PCs for display and computational power, offering a seamless, interconnected AI experience. OpenAI and Ive's design firm, known as 'io,' are reportedly aiming to make the device an everyday essential, not a pair of smart glasses, but a compact, intelligent companion that could rest on a desk or be tucked into a pocket. Sam Altman is believed to have already showcased early concepts to OpenAI staff, describing it as a potential "third core device" to accompany a laptop and smartphone. To circumvent ongoing geopolitical tensions and avoid dependency on Chinese manufacturing, assembly and distribution are expected to take place in Vietnam. This shift aligns with a broader trend among tech companies seeking to diversify their supply chains due to increasing trade restrictions and rising tariffs between China and the United States. While the project remains in early development and final specifications are yet to be confirmed, industry watchers anticipate that the collaboration between Ive's legendary design sensibilities and OpenAI's artificial intelligence capabilities could set a new standard in personal computing.
Engadget
22-05-2025
- Business
- Engadget
OpenAI's first device with Jony Ive reportedly won't be a phone or a wearable
The first device OpenAI is putting out with Jony Ive won't be a phone or a wearable and may not even have a screen at all, according to The Wall Street Journal . OpenAI chief Sam Altman reportedly talked about the company's plans to employees after announcing that it has purchased Ive's startup called io. The Journal said Altman told employees that they have "the chance to do the biggest thing [they've] ever done as a company." Altman and Ive gave out clues for what the company's first device could be: They said it will be fully aware of its environment and the user's activities, that it will unobtrusive and could either be carried around in one's pocket or placed on a desk. The executives also believe that it's bound to become one of people's "core" devices after a laptop and a phone. According to the Journal , it won't be a phone and that one of Ive's and Altman's goals is to wean people off screens, which means it most likely wouldn't come with a display. Altman reportedly said that it won't be a pair of glasses, and Ive wasn't keen on building a product users can wear in the first place. Whatever the device is, they intend on guarding specifics until it's time to release it in order to prevent their competitors from copying it. They're hoping to launch their new AI device late next year and are hoping to ship 100 million units "faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before." Ive's team, the Journal said, has been talking to vendors that can mass produce the device over the past four months. OpenAI apparently started working with Ive's startup a year-and-a-half ago. The original plan was to have Ive's company build a product that uses OpenAI's technology, but they realized that it could become the primary way users will interact with OpenAI's generative AI models. And that is why OpenAI ended up acquiring the startup founded by Apple's former chief design officer for $6.5 billion. We'll have to wait and see whether the combination of Ive's design and OpenAI's tech is compelling enough to convince people to buy yet another device from a new category. A company called Humane, for instance, tried and failed to get people to purchase the Ai Pin, which it marketed "as a tiny replacement for smartphones." In February, the company disconnected all the Pins it had sold, leaving customers without access to all of its features. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
What Sam Altman told OpenAI about the secret device he's making with Jony Ive
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gave his staff a preview Wednesday of the devices he is developing to build with former Apple designer Jony Ive, laying out plans to ship 100 million AI 'companions" that he hopes will become a part of everyday life. Altman told employees that they had 'the chance to do the biggest thing we've ever done as a company here," he said after announcing OpenAI's plans to purchase Ive's startup, named io, and give him an expansive creative and design role. He suggested the $6.5 billion acquisition has the potential to add $1 trillion in value to OpenAI, according to a recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. In the meeting, Ive noted how closely he worked with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs before his passing in 2011. With Altman, 'the way that we clicked, and the way that we've been able to work together, has been profound for me." Altman and Ive offered a few hints at the secret project they have been working on. The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user's surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one's pocket or on one's desk, and would be a third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the device won't be a phone, and that Ive and Altman's intent is to help wean users off of screens. Altman said the device also isn't a pair of glasses, and that Ive had been skeptical about building something to wear on the body. Ive referenced 'a new design movement." Altman said it would amount to a 'family of devices," bringing up his fondness for how Apple has long integrated its hardware and software offerings. Altman told OpenAI staff that stealth will be important for their ultimate success to avoid competitors copying the product before it's ready. For months, Ive's team has been speaking with vendors who will be able to ship the device at scale. 'We're not going to ship 100 million devices literally on day one," Altman said, predicting that OpenAI would ship that large quantity of high-quality devices 'faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before." Altman said the goal is to release a device by late next year. The grandiose plans echo Altman's bold vision for OpenAI's expansion in many spheres, including for data centers costing hundreds of billions of dollars, enterprise technology, chatbots, personal robots and beyond. Rolling out new devices, especially ones that will compete with deep-pocketed, multitrillion-dollar companies like Apple or Google, has long been among the most difficult of challenges in the tech industry. Humane, another startup made up of former Apple executives that Altman invested in, sold an 'Ai Pin" that failed to catch on with consumers. And OpenAI is already bleeding cash. The startup told investors last fall it won't generate a profit until 2029, and it expects to lose $44 billion before doing so, the Journal has reported. While Apple and Google have struggled to keep pace with AI innovations, many investors see the two companies—whose software runs nearly all the world's smartphones—as the primary means through which billions of people will access AI tools and chatbots. Building a device is the only way OpenAI and other artificial-intelligence companies will be able to interact with consumers directly. Altman and Ive also offered details about how their collaboration grew in the last several years. Eighteen months ago, OpenAI's Vice President of Product Peter Welinder began working with Ive's team. The two sides became excited about a specific device last fall. The original plan was for Ive's startup to build and sell its own device using OpenAI's technology, but Altman said he eventually realized that wouldn't work. Altman said he knew the two companies would have to be combined because the device wasn't just an accessory but a central facet of the user relationship with OpenAI. 'We both got excited about the idea that, if you subscribed to ChatGPT, we should just mail you new computers, and you should use those," Altman said. Altman said he and Ive came to believe that existing devices wouldn't work. While ChatGPT changed people's expectations about the power of technology, it is still being used in an old paradigm: holding a laptop, launching a website, and typing something in and waiting. 'It is not the sci-fi dream of what AI could do to enable you in all the ways that I think the models are capable of," Altman said. Write to Berber Jin at
Observer
11-04-2025
- Observer
Can dumber phone cure ‘Brain Rot'?
Dear readers, I have a confession: I am suffering from an ailment that the younger ones call 'brain rot,' the inability to think deeply after too much scrolling on my phone. These days, it's tough to even finish a book. Plenty of people have this problem. So many, it has birthed a category of minimalist tech products striving to rid us of distractions, from the Ai Pin, the now defunct artificially intelligent lapel pin that took notes, to phones with only basic features. The latest example, the $600 Light Phone III, from a New York City startup, is a stripped-down phone that does barely anything. The newest version, which began shipping in March and is set for a broader release in July, can place calls, send texts, take photos, show map directions, play music and podcasts; and not do much else. There is no web browser. There is also no app store, meaning there's no Uber to hail a ride, no Slack and no social media. There isn't even email. 'You use it when you need to and when you put it back it disappears in your life,' said Kaiwei Tang, CEO of Light, the startup that has developed multiple iterations of the Light Phone over the past nine years.I was curious to see if the Light Phone could cure me of brain rot, so I used it as my primary phone for a week. There were moments I enjoyed it. While waiting for a train, resting at the gym or eating alone, I was not tempted to stare at the phone screen and I felt more mindful of my surroundings. Phone calls sounded nice and clear. The maps app did a fine job navigating me around town. It reminded me of simpler times when we used phones primarily to converse before putting them away to focus on other tasks. But over the week, the downsides of a dumber phone chipped away at my enjoyment; and overall I felt more stressed and less capable. I suddenly found myself unable to get into a train station, look up the name of a new restaurant or control my garage door. Some of that has less to do with the Light Phone itself, which is a so-so product and more to do with how society as a whole has become dependent on advanced smartphone features. Here's how my week went running errands, commuting and going out with a lower-tech phone. GETTING STARTED When I set up my review unit of the Light Phone over the weekend, the phone, which looks like a black rectangular slab, was pretty bare-bones. The phone's menu was a black screen showing a white-text list of its features: phone, camera, photo album and alarm. To add more tools, I had to use a web browser on my computer to access a dashboard, where I could install features like a maps app, notepad and timer. Now that I was ready to go, I was determined to live, at least for a while, without my iPhone. COMMUTING TO WORK On Monday morning, I started my commute to work, taking a train from Oakland, California, to San Francisco. When I arrived at the station, I realised I couldn't enter without my iPhone because years ago I had converted my physical transit pass, the Clipper Card, into a virtual one stored in my smartphone's mobile wallet. The Light Phone lacked a mobile wallet to load the virtual transit card, so I sheepishly went back home to get my iPhone and ultimately showed up to the office a half-hour late. TEXTING FRIENDS AND TAKING PHOTOS I added a few of my closest friends to the address book on the Light Phone and sent them text messages explaining my experiment. Typing on the device's keyboard felt sluggish in part because there was no autocorrect feature to fix typos. As a result, conversations were terse. Hilarity ensued when I sent people photos. Poorly lit and grainy, the images looked as if they were produced with a phone camera from at least 15 years ago. RUNNING ERRANDS One afternoon, I had to drop off an Amazon return at a UPS Store. I chose the most convenient shipping option, which involved showing a QR code for scanning. The problem? The Light Phone had no email app or web browser to download the code. Instead, I loaded it on my computer screen and snapped a mediocre picture with the phone. When I brought the package to UPS and presented the photo, I held my breath, hoping that the image was clear enough. The UPS employee held the scanner up and, after three attempts, I heard a beep and a shipping label printed. What a relief, but also, what a hassle. Bottom Line While I admire the goal of the Light Phone, my experience demonstrates there's nothing we can realistically do or buy to bring us back to simpler times. So many aspects of our lives, including getting around town, working, paying for things and controlling home appliances, revolve around our highly capable smartphones. Tang, Light's CEO, acknowledged that the Light Phone was not for everyone but added that parents have considered buying the phone for their children to be less distracted in school. The company is also working on adding more tools, such as mobile payments and the ability to request a Lyft car. — The New York Times
