Iyo thinks its gen AI earbuds can succeed where Humane and Rabbit stumbled

Humane, a startup that launched its first product, the Ai Pin, a month ago, is reportedly on the market. The Ai Pin, along with its competitor, the Rabbit R1, failed to impress critics, with many suggesting the devices could have been apps rather than expensive hardware. In contrast, Iyo, another startup, is integrating its technology into the successful Bluetooth earbud market. The Iyo One, launching this winter, will build on consumer familiarity with assistants like Alexa and Siri in headphones, making the leap to more sophisticated large language models (LLMs) easier.

Iyo was formed inside Google and incubated in the Alphabet X "moonshot factory". Unlike other projects from Alphabet X, Iyo operates independently, with Alphabet as its first investor. Iyo's first product, the Vad Pro, is a high-end in-ear studio reference monitor, which will be followed by the Iyo One. The Iyo One will function as a premium set of headphones, with a larger battery for extended use. The Wi-Fi model will cost $599, and the cellular version will be $699, but will not require a monthly subscription fee.

Key takeaways:

Humane's AI product, Ai Pin, and its competitor, Rabbit R1, have both faced criticism and challenges shortly after their launch.
Iyo, another AI company, is introducing a new product called Iyo One, a Bluetooth earbud with AI capabilities, set to launch this winter.
Iyo's product is designed to be a premium set of headphones that can function independently of its AI capabilities, unlike its competitors.
The Iyo One will cost $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $699 for the cellular version, and unlike the Ai Pin, it will not require a monthly subscription fee.

Iyo thinks its gen AI earbuds can succeed where Humane and Rabbit stumbled | TechCrunch

Key takeaways:

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