Only roughly 7,000 Humane Pins are still out in the wild

While the AI Pin from Humane may have captured the news cycle for a week or two last year, the company didn’t capture many hearts.

A new report from The Verge says that the company was able to sell a total of roughly 10,000 pins, but around 3,000 of those were returned, and there’s no way to refurbish them. The pins cost $699 USD (roughly $962 CAD), and the report says Humane sold around $9 million worth of its stock but is stuck with over a million dollars in useless returns.

It’s hoping to find a way to refurbish them in the future, but for now, once the devices are paired with a phone number/data plan, there is no way to add another one, meaning these returned units are currently closer to e-waste than a helpful AI assistant.

The report further mentions that returns have been outpacing sales since launch since more people are sending their units back than buying new ones.

The company originally raised $200 million in startup funding and planned to ship 100,000 pins in the first year. Right now, it’s sitting significantly under that, with more units being returned every day.

This isn’t that surprising, considering how useless the pin appeared in early reviews and how expensive the object is. Moreover, shortly after launch, the company needed to recall the charging case since it could overheat and catch fire. Since then, there has also been significant turnover amongst some of its top employees.

Source: The Verge