Emerging Interfaces: How Ai Pin and R1 are Shaping the Smartphone's Future

We're witnessing a new wave of interest with the launch of innovative devices like Humane's Ai Pin (I talked about the device in more detail here) and Rabbit Tech's R1. These devices seem to be addressing a real problem in our increasingly complex digital lives. As we delve into the functionality and potential of these interfaces, it's worth examining the current state of smartphones and the potential for disruption in this space.

Smartphones, while powerful and versatile, have become complex ecosystems in themselves (check out my post where I briefly touch upon this) They've enabled a range of activities, from ordering a ride to editing videos, which were either impossible or less practical with traditional computing devices. However, this power comes with a cost: managing dozens of apps, notifications, and various settings can be overwhelming. There's a clear demand for simplification in our digital interactions.

Ai Pin and R1 are both addressing the complexity of modern smartphones, but an “app-less” future without a full-fledged screen seems distant. To illustrate, let's consider the steps involved in ordering food via an app:

• Download an app, like Doordash, from the App Store.
• Launch the app and sign up as a new user.
• Allow the app to access your location and send notifications.

These steps would be similar on both a traditional smartphone and an Ai Pin-like device. However, devices like Ai Pin may still require a screen for initial setup, ironically depending on a screen-based device.

Once the app is set up, the process usually involves:

• Browsing restaurants based on your location, considering various categories like proximity, popularity, price, delivery speed, cuisines, and specific items.
• Reviewing your past orders to possibly reorder favorites.
• Selecting a restaurant and reading its reviews.
• Scanning prices and reviewing individual food items.
• Adding items to your cart and entering payment information (a one-time action).
• Placing the order.
• Checking the order status periodically until delivery.
• Possibly guiding the delivery person via a map if they can't find your location.

The point here isn't that ordering via a smartphone is overly complex, but to question the feasibility of a simplified, one-touch or voice-only experience that devices like R1 or Ai Pin might promise. It's hard to imagine replacing many of these steps with a screen-less (or a minimal screen like in the case of R1) device. For example, would you prefer to keep asking your device every five minutes for order updates, or take a quick glance at a live status on your phone's screen? How about the process of discovering a restaurant? Would you rather your AI tell you exactly and magically what you “need” to order based on the preferences you tell it at the time, or you’d rather may be visually scan a few choices before you decide upon a restaurant?

As we ponder these questions, we must also consider the broader landscape of technology adoption and user behavior. Innovations like ChatGPT are gaining traction, yet they haven't led to a mass exodus from existing platforms. This gradual shift in user preferences suggests that the future might not be about eliminating apps and screens but rather building upon and enhancing the capabilities of smartphones with a layer of generative AI.

In this evolving scenario, the challenge for tech giants like Apple and Google is to stay ahead in the race, leveraging AI to innovate. Companies like ChatGPT, with its momentum, and Microsoft -- with its expertise in operating systems, its partnership with ChatGPT, and its earlier albeit failed stint with Windows Phone -- could be potential disruptors. Apple, historically not the first mover but a perfecter of user interfaces, faces the challenge of its own success with the iPhone.

As I wrote on my piece earlier: “The tech landscape is filled with examples where being a first mover did not guarantee lasting success. In the early PC era, pioneers like IBM and Commodore set the stage, but it was Microsoft's Windows that ultimately prevailed. Similarly, early internet platforms like AOL and CompuServe were trailblazers, yet later overshadowed by companies like Google and Amazon. The same pattern occurred in the smartphone industry, where innovators like Nokia, Microsoft, and BlackBerry were eventually outpaced by the likes of iPhone and Android.”

This leads us to consider the dynamic between sustaining and disruptive innovation. In this unfolding AI race, will industry giants like Apple and Google continue to sustain innovation, maintaining their stronghold with consumer favorites like the iPhone and Android phones? Or will this be the opportune moment for disruptors such as Ai Pin, R1, Microsoft, and ChatGPT to redefine the landscape?

Indeed, we are on the brink of exciting times in the world of technology.