Executives had to put it on an ice pack before showing it off to investors. No, really.
Fire Sale
First as tragedy, then as farce.
Human’s disastrous AI Pin device, which went on sale earlier this year, isn’t just an overpriced disappointment. Now it turns out that it’s a literal fire hazard.
According to an email sent out to customers, first obtained by The Verge, Humane admitted that a battery cell used in some of the devices “may pose a fire safety risk” and that customers should “immediately” stop using the charging case shipped with the Pin.
Worse yet, the company has yet to issue a public statement on its social media feeds or website.
Not that those customers, who shelled out $700 for the device, would probably want to use it in the first place. The gadget was immediately panned by reviewers who criticized it as one of the worst tech products ever released.
That negative reception has left its mark on the company. Humane is now reportedly seeking to sell itself to tech giant HP, as the New York Times reports.
If the sale goes through, HP may get a terrific price. The company only sold 10,000 units, a tenth of what it had planned on.
Pin Factory
Fire safety aside, the small gadget, which is meant to be worn like a broach, already had a strong tendency to heat up during operation.
According to the NYT, executives used “ice packs so it would last longer” before showing the device off to prospective investors, a damning indictment of the company’s failure to live up to its once lofty promises.
Battery life was also subpar, requiring several backup batteries to be switched out during the day, making it a nonstarter for users accustomed to the lasting charge of a smartphone.
In short, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that several Humane employees tried to stop the device from launching due to its half-baked state, as the NYT reports.
Was Humane ahead of its time with its AI chatbot-enabled assistant — or is the entire product category doomed from the start? Given what we’ve seen so far, it’s starting to look more like the latter.
More on the Pin: Humane’s AI “Pin” Is a $700 Flaming Dumpster Fire
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