Humane No More
In a move that should surprise no one, Humane is shutting down its AI Pin solution. The company has sent a message to all (not that “all” is all that many by all accounts) its customers saying that the Pins will be disconnected in just 10 days’ time (death day is set at February 28). At that point all functionality will cease to work. The notice follows on from Humane being purchased by HP for $116 million (far lower than the $1 billion price Humane was originally hoping to sell for). The acquisition is for the IP relating to the Pin and it’s underlying smarts; HP is forming a new team called HP IQ where the Humane team will now live, with the goal of creating an innovation lab focused on building “an intelligent ecosystem across HP’s products and services for the future of work.”
The Circana Take:
- It’s not the first time HP has acquired a company with one (or more) feet already in the grave. In 2010, HP scooped up the remains of Palm with a goal of creating a range of tablets. Three years later, HP sold the core WebOS to LG having written down nearly $1.7 billion in losses on the investment.
- At the time Humane launched, we commented that the device was doomed, but that the underlying AI-infused OS was intriguing. It was a clever idea that never quite made the leap to a functional reality. HP clearly sees potential in that. But… the AI world moves at a rapid pace and what was clever and intriguing a year ago when the AI Pin launched now looks dated.
OnePlus launches Watch 3
OnePlus has launched the latest iteration of its smartwatch, the OnePlus Watch 3. Expected to be priced at $329, the latest version of the watch looks very similar to the Watch 2. The casing has reverted to stainless steel, rather than the Watch 2’s aluminum and it now has a titanium bezel. But that’s really the design highlights. The major emphasis of the new model is on the battery life, with OnePlus claiming 120 hours of use in smart mode, and 72 hours of continuous use under heavier use circumstances with 30 minutes of GPS per day.
The Circana Take:
- The challenge for OnePlus is finding an addressable market in the US. We estimate that less than 1% of smartphone owners have a OnePlus. Further, for many consumers they will associate the watch with OnePlus’ smartphone…so if you don’t own a OnePlus smartphone, you won’t consider the Watch 3. OnePlus needs to break that perception, using the Watch to drive sales of the smartphone, not the other way around.
- The one obvious miss with the Watch 3 is the lack of a cellular option. Without cellular, carriers will not sell the smartwatch, and this could have been a good opportunity for OnePlus to get back into the carrier stores.
- While 120 hours of battery is very impressive, is it really all that important? Consumers are used to charging their devices overnight on a regular basis. Having said that, OnePlus claims that you can get one day’s charge of the smartwatch in just 10 minutes.