Lyu promises that there’s plenty more on the way, of course. We are told to expect, in the summer, an alarm clock, calendar, contacts, GPS, memory recall, travel planning, and other features. Currently in development are Amazon Music and Apple Music integrations, and later on, we should see more third-party service integrations including Airbnb, Lyft, and OpenTable.
You might be wondering, “Hang on a minute, that just sounds like a phone,” and you … wouldn’t be off the mark.
As we’ve seen with the clunky and limited Humane Ai Pin, a smartphone can perform all of these tasks better, faster, and with richer interactions. This is where you have to start looking carefully at Rabbit’s overall vision.
The idea is to speak and then compute. No need for apps—the computer will just understand. We are a long ways away from that, but at the launch event, Rabbit teased a wearable device that would understand what you’re pointing at.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Lyu suggested the wearable would be able to understand you pointing at a Nest thermostat and asking to lower the temperature without having to say the words “Nest” or “thermostat.” The image of the supposedly all-seeing wearable was blurred, though, so we don’t have much information to go on.
Lyu mentioned generative user interfaces, where a user would be able to have an interface of their own choosing—buttons on a screen placed where you want them, and at the perfect display size—and then claimed that Rabbit is working on an AI-native desktop operating system called Rabbit OS. Again, we don’t have many details, but my mind immediately went to Theo in Her installing OS1 on his PC.
An operating system that puts a personal voice assistant front and center. What could go wrong?
The Rabbit R1 retails for $199 and is available for purchase now, but units are shipping in batches, and currently, if you place an order, you’ll get a unit in June.
Lyu won’t stop repeating that this device doesn’t have a subscription—unlike the Humane Ai Pin—but it’s worth noting you have to purchase your own monthly data plan and insert the SIM card into the 4G-enabled R1 for it to be useful when you’re away from Wi-Fi (unless you plan to tether it to your phone).
The company says it has sold 100,000 units in the first quarter of 2024. I picked up my unit at the event and have now unboxed it. My early impressions are that it’s undeniably a cute piece of tech, but I’ll have more thoughts lined up in a review after I’ve put it through its paces.
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