Humane Ai Pin is shut down as T-Mobile will stop providing data and voice connection
The mighty smartphone has gone up against one replacement and blew it up to kingdom come. We're talking about Humane's Ai Pin that was promoted as a substitute for the smartphone in 2023. Priced at $699, the pin also required that the user subscribe to T-Mobile for a phone number and data coverage. The carrier charged Humane Ai Pin customers $24 per month for the service. A laser projector allowed the device to use the palm of the user's hand as a display to read responses to queries asked to an Ai chatbot.
The device went over poorly in the marketplace and this week it was announced that HP is buying Humane's Ai technology and team for $116 million. Did HP extend a lifesaving branch to the Humane Ai Pin? No. No, it did not which means that the Ai Pin is being shut down for good. What HP is getting in the purchase is most of Humane's employees. its intellectual property and software.
The failure of the Humane Ai Pin shows how hard it will be for tech firms to come up with the next big thing that finally displaces the smartphone. For years, we've been expecting AR smart glasses to eventually replace the smartphone and while that still seems likely, we are still several years away from seeing this happen. If you own a Humane Ai Pin, it will continue to work normally until 3 pm on February 28th. After that date and time, the Pin will no longer connect to Humane's servers. Any feature requiring cloud connectivity will no longer work after the shutdown.
"This investment will rapidly accelerate our ability to develop a new generation of devices that seamlessly orchestrate AI requests both locally and in the cloud. Humane’s AIplatform Cosmos, backed by an incredible group of engineers, will help us create an intelligent ecosystem across all HP devices from AI PCs to smart printers and connected conference rooms. This will unlock new levels of functionality for our customers and deliver on the promises of AI."-Tuan Tran, President of Technology and Innovation, HP
Once the connection to the server is broken, the Ai Pin will no longer make or take phone calls, support messaging, handle AI questions and responses, or have access to the cloud. Humane Ai Pin owners are being told to download any photos, videos, or messages stored on their Pins before the device is shut down forever.
The original charging case for the device was recalled. If you're still waiting for your new case, you'll "automatically receive a refund for the portion of your original purchase price that was allocated to the Charge Case after February 28, 2025."
When the Pin was launched last April, noted online reviewer Marques Brownlee called it the worst product that he ever reviewed. While he might be right, I wonder whether Marques reviewed the BlackBerry Storm 9530.
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