“Truly a middle finger”: Humane bricking $700 AI Pins with limited refunds

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/02/truly-a-middle-finger-humane-bricking-700-ai-pins-with-limited-refunds/

13 points · 7 comments · view on lemmy.world

7 Comments

turbowafflz@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (2 replies)

I mean this is obviously a bad thing for a company to do, but how was it not obvious to everyone who bought one that this would be how it would end? If you buy a product that completely depends on a single cloud service, the manufacturer will brick your device, it's just a question of how soon

sploosh@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I think the only people who didn't realize that Humane was on the fast track to the garbage dump were the people who bought them.

SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y

I don't understand how venture capital still pays off if so many startups are just pump-and-dump schemes like this one...

SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1y

Honestly I expected no less of them. They seemed like the epitome of the data-harvesting, paternalistic venture capital startup.

Edit:

It was aiming for sales of 100,000 units but fell far short at 10,000.

Lol. At least minimal harm was done.

I_Miss_Daniel@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Roku let Telstra do it too by bricking the Telstra TV boxes with no way to use them afterwards.

Not going to buy a Roku product again.

trolololol@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Telstra boxes are free with the Telco fees, aren't it?

I've got mine in the drawer, never found a reason to use it. Still using my Chromecast I bought in like 2016, and I don't need a remote that will get lost.

I_Miss_Daniel@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y

Not sure. I was using mine as a glorified set top box since it had a TV tuner in it.