The Ai Pin established itself as part of an overhyped and underdelivered category. Humane was forced to pay a hefty price as its $699 pocketable device arrived ‘dead on arrival,’ leaving the company open to acquisition offers. That day has finally arrived, with HP reportedly purchasing the important assets, which include around 300 patents and a majority of Humane’s employees. As for the Ai Pin, the deal ensured that the gadget would not have a future any longer.
The acquisition of Humane will not include the Ai Pin, which is being officially shut down
The company that was co-founded by ex-Apple employees was previously looking to be acquired between $750 million and $1 billion, but it was clear that no firm, big or small, was going to pour a ludicrous sum for taking over something that delivered a ‘dead weight’ product. According to Bloomberg, HP has finalized the deal and will acquire Humane for $116 million.
Unfortunately, the deal does not include keeping the Ai Pin future alive, meaning that those who actually purchased it will eventually find out that the device will stop working. From February 28, the Ai Pin will no longer be connected to Humane’s servers, and to keep users prepared for that faithful day, the company has put out a message below that was taken from a support document to connect the gadget over Wi-Fi to download any important data.
“Data Access: We strongly encourage you to sync your Ai Pin over Wi-Fi and download any stored pictures, videos, and notes from. Center before February 28, 2025. If you do not do this, your data will be lost upon deletion on February 28, 2025 at 12pm PST.”
As for the founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, they will have employment as part of HP’s deal as they will create a new division focused on adding AI to the company’s PCs, printers and other devices. As you would have guessed, the new division will house several members of Humane. We can imagine that buyers of the Ai Pin will be livid to learn of this development, but there is some respite for them, if they meet some conditions.
Customers opting for a refund will have their request entertained if they purchased the Ai Pin within the original 90-day return window. Those who paid for subscriptions will also receive a refund commensurate with the time utilized by the device.
News Source: Bloomberg
