Lapel Pin: Not An Ideal Device Form

Humane sells its software and people to HP. We probably close the book on devices that live on the lapel.

In this post:

• Revisiting Humane’s AI Pin

• Diving into fashion accessories we wear and why

• Connecting fashion to devices to derive what went wrong for Humane

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What do you do with this device?

I asked that rhetorical question in a 2023 post about Humane’s AI Pin, a battery-powered AI-empowered lapel pin (or brick).

The theory (behind the Pin) that we’re too attached to our phones was right. I agreed then. I agree now, as well.

But a pocket-sized computer is an ideal device. It’s stuffed with features you both need and want to run your life. You chat with friends. Research topics of interest. Call people. Check and send email. Pay bills. The list is quite long.

The Pin, by contrast, never answered the fundamental question I posed at the beginning of this post. The Pin gave me something other than a phone to handle a subset of activities but no screen.

Instead, it relied on playing information out loud (where?) and projecting information on your hand (full sunlight?).

Device form matters. The lapel pin was obviously not the right device form. I applaud the company for innovating, for stretching boundaries, and for aligning to something other than the status quo.

Device form aligns well with the idea of fashion accessories:

• A watch lives on your wrist. I see watches everywhere.

• A wallet-like rectangle lives in your pocket (or purse/bag/etc.). Wallets often travel in rear pockets (men) but some strange folks (me) carry very slim wallets in front pockets.

• Bracelets are probably more popular among women but certainly not absent among men.

• Glasses - both for vision and for sun - are everywhere. Glasses are fashionable, too. Some folks like them for fashion so much that they wear clear-lens glasses - not for vision, not to block the sun's rays. Just to look like they wear glasses.

• Rings (on fingers) stand the test of time. Also more popular on women (anecdote) but not absent on men at all.

• Hats. Lots of people wear them. Not sure how plentiful they are compared to watches, but they’re visible in many places.

• Shoes are staple items for everyone. Right? I think. Most everyone owns one pair of shoes. Maybe a few. And perhaps way waaaay more.

That list wasn’t entirely exhaustive. What other fashion items do you own and like wearing?

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Basic accessory categories tell us something about what devices might appeal to people:

• Watch: A smart watch, a fitness watch. There are many but I’ll point to the Apple Watch and Garmin’s plentiful catalog as two examples.

• Wallet: Smartphone, duh. Also, a back-up charger.

• Bracelet: Fitness tracker (not designed first as a watch). Fitbit, Whoop, etc.

• Glasses: Smart glasses (e.g. Meta Ray Ban glasses)

• Rings: Oura

• Hats: Less obvious. I know. Yet: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zerot/cap-on-sound-on

• Shoes: Garmin Foot Pod

Notice that I didn’t mention lapel pins. They’re absolutely fashion items. They send a statement to the discerning eye. They boost the sophistication and allure of a tailored jacket on anyone.

When do you wear them?

I don’t see them regularly on jackets adorned by fashionable corporate workers in New York City. And you might expect them there vs. anywhere else in the United States. I can’t speak to trends elsewhere in the world. Weddings? Sure. Country clubs? Sometimes.

So, the Pin attempted to replace something not frequently worn. Or, in a more adventurous pitch, create the demand (and scarcity) associated with a new fashion accessory. Many people haven’t worn lapel pins once and probably won’t. People that swear by them wear them often, I’m sure, but those people aren’t the majority.

Everyone else in the middle. Who knows?

And then it’s worth revisiting the device question. Would I use this thing instead of my phone?

I thought the answer was effectively no.

That’s what most everyone else thought too. Reviews that I mentioned in my prior post were skeptical at best. So, it came as no surprise that Humane sold its software and people:

HP Inc. will acquire assets from Humane Inc., the maker of a wearable Ai Pin introduced in late 2023, for $116 million.

The deal will include the majority of Humane’s employees in addition to its software platform and intellectual property, the company said Tuesday. It will not include Humane’s Ai pin device business, which will be wound down, an HP spokesperson said.

Humane’s team, including founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, will form a new division at HP to help integrate artificial intelligence into the company’s personal computers, printers and connected conference rooms, said Tuan Tran, who leads HP’s AI initiatives. Chaudhri and Bongiorno were design and software engineers at Apple Inc. before founding the startup.

No one likes to see companies fail. But you can’t succeed with a product that doesn’t make current sense and has no real future pathway to deep engaged usage.

I think the important bit is obvious: the device business was not sold. It will be liquidated, or something. I don’t think we’ll see another AI-powered pin reach Humane’s level of attention.

Is the Rabbit R1 up next?

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