Lyu expressed his desire to avoid working with Apple to prevent potential future challenges and protect the company's intellectual property. He also highlighted the high costs of creating and maintaining scalable apps for iOS and Android. The CEO believes that making Rabbit an app could lead to spinoff apps that could steal users. He is confident that making the Rabbit R1 a standalone device will help protect its unique AI model and distinguish the company in a crowded consumer market.
Key takeaways:
- Rabbit, a tech company, launched an AI-powered handheld device, Rabbit R1, in 2024 to help people complete tasks that normally require smartphone apps or a computer. The device has been popular, selling out of five batches and currently taking orders for a sixth batch of 50,000 units.
- Rabbit's CEO, Jesse Lyu, explained that the decision to make Rabbit R1 a separate device was due to concerns about working with Apple and competition within the AI software market. He believes making Rabbit an app would be akin to giving away its intellectual property to Apple.
- Lyu also expressed concerns about the lack of security and loyalty in the App Store, fearing that a better app could easily steal users away. He believes that making Rabbit R1 a standalone device will protect its unique AI model from being copied and help it stand out in the crowded consumer market.
- Other tech companies are also launching their own AI hardware products, such as Humane's AI pin and Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses with AI features. Despite skepticism from the tech community, these devices, including Rabbit R1, seem to have captured customers' interest.