Late last year, former Apple designer Imran Chaudhri and former Apple software manager Bethany Bongiorno launched one of the first AI wearables under their Humane brand. The $699 Humane AI pin did not go over well, and many reviews criticized its poor performance.
Humane is continuing to struggle, and now, returns are outpacing sales. According to The Verge, more AI pins were returned than purchased during the period between May and August. So many pins have been returned that there are only around 7,000 units still in the hands of consumers, with around 10,000 initially shipped out.
The company only sold around $9 million worth of AI Pins in total, and it is trying to deal with $1 million in returns. Humane cannot refurbish returned AI Pins due to a technical limitation with the cellular connectivity, and returned units are simply e-waste at this point.
Humane also faced a problem with the Charge Case for the device, which was found to pose a fire risk. Humane sent out emails to customers telling them to stop using the Charge Case Accessory. Refunds were not provided, but customers were given two free months of the Humane subscription service.
Humane raised more than $200 million from investors, and had planned to sell around 100,000 pins during its first year, but poor performance seems to have sunk the device. The Verge claims that pre-launch family and friends reviewers raised concerns about the functionality of the AI Pin, but it was launched despite the feedback.
A Humane spokesperson told The Verge that there were “inaccuracies” in the financial data that the site obtained, but specifics were not provided. Humane said that the company remains “committed to unlocking a new era of ambient and contextual computing,” and that there have been software updates to address user feedback.