Rabbit R1, once a highly anticipated AI device, has recently seen shocking usage data. According to Jesse Lyu, the founder of Rabbit, out of 100,000 buyers, only 5,000 people are currently using the device daily.
This news came five months after the launch of Rabbit R1, which is indeed disheartening. Lyu mentioned that the device was rushed to market in an attempt to surpass big tech companies before it was fully ready, and the results have clearly been less than ideal.
Earlier this year at CES, Rabbit R1's performance sparked high expectations, especially amid the fervor in the smart tech field. However, upon its actual release, things didn't seem to live up to expectations.
David Pierce from The Verge commented in his review, "The whole device feels broken." Perhaps this is why the number of R1 users has plummeted, with rumors that Humane is recalling more AI Pin devices than it sells.
In an era where smartphones already offer quite decent AI capabilities, standalone AI devices seem to face survival challenges. While there has been ongoing discussion about whether single AI devices will find their niche or ultimately be replaced by smartphones, the reality raises doubts.
Although Meta's Ray-Ban glasses have provided a successful example for standalone AI devices to some extent, other AI products have not fared well.
It is worth mentioning that Rabbit is set to release an "omnipotent action model" update on October 1st, which sounds like a promising attempt.
This update will allow Rabbit R1 to log into websites and even book flights or order takeout for users. Will these convenient features encourage more users to pick up Rabbit R1 again, willing to carry an extra device? However, considering that Apple and Google are also rolling out local AI features that can automatically process information on the screen and operate between multiple applications, the outlook doesn't seem optimistic.
Key Points:
🌟 Currently, only 5,000 people use Rabbit R1 daily, and sales data is concerning.
🤖 The device was rushed to market without being fully prepared, leading to a poor user experience.
📱 As smartphones' AI capabilities grow stronger, the future of standalone AI devices remains uncertain.