The moment the ‘iPhone destroyer’ was born is counting down?
- Tram Ho
But after 15 years, the concept of “iPhone destroyer” may have been completely different. Two former senior Apple executives may have it in their hands – currently estimated to be worth around $230 million, and two of the latest investors for it are Microsoft and OpenAI.
The story begins in 2016, Former Apple Head of Human Interface Group Design Imran Chaudhri and Former Apple OS Team Head Bethany Bongiorno left their leadership positions within the giant to found the startup.
Mr. Imran Chaudhri and Mrs. Bethany Bongiorno are also a married couple.
They also hired Former Apple CTO Patrick Gates as chief technology officer.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Humane recently completed its third round of funding – giving them a $100 million funding round.
The previous 2 fundraising rounds have also raised 130 million USD and it should be noted that all 3 fundraising rounds have been completed in the context that Humane has not yet revealed to the public what they are working on.
But the product expected to be launched by Humane this spring will almost certainly have artificial intelligence (AI) support.
A promotional photo by Humane showing their product launch this spring.
Considering that OpenAI and Microsoft are among the investors in the latest round of funding – that’s not surprising. OpenAI created the world famous ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft is a big investor in OpenAI and has also integrated ChatGPT into Bing.
Humane also revealed during its third funding round that the product will work with Microsoft on cloud services. The company also plans to integrate OpenAI’s technologies into its devices.
What could this supposed “iPhone destroyer” be?
The Wall Street Journal notes that Humane’s patents that have been published show that they are working on a wearable device. And a Humane document leaked in 2021 shows that this device allows users to communicate, take photos or record videos.
Humane’s device is said to be about the size of a smartwatch, but with a hook to attach it.
Its camera works continuously, and the acquired data is then processed by the company’s server with the help of AI. Users can ask voice or gesture questions about their surroundings – for example by pointing at a car and asking for information about it.
So how can this device “destroy” the iPhone?
The leaked document also states that the device can handle “microtransactions that once required a smartphone” – that’s not just in the narrow sense of commercial transactions but extends to all operation currently requires an iPhone or Android phone.
Humane’s device is said to be able to project dates, directions and even a virtual phone key on the hand.
These actions are described as “simpler, faster and more flexible with the help of visual-assisted context perception”. The AI will probably answer questions like “Does this dress fit my wife?” or “How many calories did I take in today?”
Of course, in early versions, Humane’s device still needed to be connected to a smartphone for actions like sharing social media content or adding items to a shopping list.
But that will end as the device’s technology gets more advanced and smaller.
While all of the above is just speculation, given that many investors have poured Humane close to 1/4 billion USD, their device is definitely attractive.
Source : Genk