All they had to do was swap NFT with AI and their deck was ready to go
Rabbit was once an NFT company that it wants you to forget about
Submitted 6 months ago by FlyingSquid@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.xda-developers.com/rabbit-nft-company-past/
Comments
Blackout@kbin.run 6 months ago
Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Which is hilarious because they are actually marketing jokes where this is the punchline
mrecondo@lemmy.sdf.org 6 months ago
From NFT to AI, no surprise there.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
That was exactly what I was thinking when I read the article. I didn’t know that’s what they were doing before this, but after reading multiple reviews saying what a piece of shit the Rabbit is, I was not at all surprised they used to hawk NFTs.
tempest@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
It would make me laugh so hard if the thing subtly tried to sell you crypto in its answers
BurningnnTree@lemmy.one 6 months ago
damn I forgot about NFTs. That shit was funny
moon@lemmy.cafe 6 months ago
You just don’t get it bro, owning jpegs is the future
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
You didn’t even own the jpeg. You owned a link to a jpeg which could be switched out with another jpeg at any time.
Reawake9179@lemmy.kde.social 6 months ago
Scamming people that missed the Bitcoin boom
BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I referred to them as Pizza Without Shrooms
xavier666@lemm.ee 6 months ago
I call it the “My wife gets railed daily by other men. But I’m happy because at least I own the marriage certificate.” thing
baduhai@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
AtariDump@lemmy.world 6 months ago
platypus_plumba@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Did they forget smartphones exist? Why would I want another device for something my smartphone could do?
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
Segmentation
dev_null@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
There is definitely a case for having a separate device for something a smartphone can do, if it can do it better, e.g a camera.
This device doesn’t do it better in my opinion.
ShepherdPie@midwest.social 6 months ago
There is definitely a case for having a separate device for something a smartphone can do, if it can do it better, e.g a camera.
Frankly things have gone full circle and the list of “external devices that can do it better” seems to get larger and larger each release. Pretty much all phones excel at these days is scrolling through social media and keeping us entertained on the toilet.
MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Plenty of companies pivot when their initial business plan doesn’t work out or if the market changes.
For example, did you know that American Express used to be a shipping company like FedEx and UPS? Or Mattel used to sell picture frames before they started making toys? Or Nintendo started out as a playing card company and still sells them today?
potatopotato@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Yeah but the people running this seem to only be interested in pivoting between whatever the current grift is. We should come up with a word for people who do that, maybe something like “grifters”.
MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 6 months ago
That’s a good point. Cryptocurrency and NFTs are not good things to be involved in.
PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
The enshittification of enshittification.
Yes, I know that is not the correct use of this word given the context, but I think it gets the point across regarding what has happened to tech overall.
Joelk111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Enshittification is used plenty often enough, we don’t need to be using it incorrectly imo.
moon@lemmy.cafe 6 months ago
How are they still in business?
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’m guessing they won’t be for long.
TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 6 months ago
It seems the way VC’s throw money at pure unadulterated hype, don’t count them out just yet. So long as you’re good at marketing, you don’t have to be good at development; you don’t have to have a good idea; you don’t have to have a product that does what you’ve promised, works or even exists… they’ll shower a literal pile of shit with money until it sparkles like a Faberge egg if you can only generate buzz.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Luck. The one that was formed by former English Nijisanji managers went immediately bankrupt, and also had dire consequences to Nijisanji itself (which also tried to step into NFTs at one point if it wasn’t for the talents) as those managers were now missing from the company.
Basically if you were lucky and able to sell your NFTs for a hyperinflated price to be used in money-laundering schemes while you also profiting off of them on every transaction. If not, then your life savings were wasted on some crappy commissions.
VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Pure hype.
Plus big tech companies are scared to lose out to each other, so they’ll buy into it on a risk.
yarr@feddit.nl 6 months ago
It takes time for your bad consequences to catch up with you. Since the idea is clearly horseshit, I doubt the CEO put a large amount of his money on the line. It will take him some time to piss through the investor money and then you will see a sad “goodbye” message from Rabbit Inc. as they brick the devices on the way out. (since it does nothing without their server)
yarr@feddit.nl 6 months ago
Why do people care so much that it’s an app? If it was not an app would everyone have been buying it in droves?
At least part of this is due to a direct quote from the CEO mentioning how they need a VERY bespoke Android version for it to run, which is clearly bullshit because you can run the APK on other devices other than the Rabbit R1 hardware.
Since Rabbit was at least partially funded by the “Cyber Manufacture Co” rug-pull and they suffered NO penalty the CEO has taken this as a sign the market will tolerate his scams. You should view the Rabbit R1 through the lens of it being a former “web3” company and I’m sure the shady legacy remains inside that company.
Since Rabbit sells at $199 and then NO monthly charge, there is basically no viable funding model for this company. Every single request you send the Rabbit costs them money. So, it’s only a matter of time before the R1 itself is “rugged”, whether that’s suddenly requiring a monthly fee OR just shutting down entirely.
My guess would be, like the Humane Pin, they wanted to do a monthly fee, but if they did the R1 would sell even worse (since it’s basically entirely broken out of the box). If these guys make it 3 years I’ll be surprised. And, since the R1 does nothing locally, it turns into a nice paperweight when these guys eventually pull THIS rug.
sebinspace@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Then why not just make a new company?
Wispy2891@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Save a few thousands for incorporation fees also some bs experience that you can use to boast to vc investors
yarr@feddit.nl 6 months ago
Why bother? They made a bunch of money with the rug pull and suffered no consequences. Scammers are usually lazy.
can@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Where does Teenage Engineering fit into this? Besides being overpriced toys?
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
engadget.com/rabbit-r1-is-an-adorable-ai-powered-…
“Adorable” is their word, not mine. I think it’s pretty damn ugly.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 6 months ago
I think it’s cute, but haven’t heard a single good thing about it. I also thought the “cyber truck” was beautiful so obviously I have some wires crossed compared to most folks
barsquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I love it. If it weren’t overpriced as hell I’d want to buy one to root and install my own apps. The AI portion of it is dumb.
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Why do people care so much that it’s an app? If it was not an app would everyone have been buying it in droves?
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Because it means the $200 hardware is pointless.
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Isn’t the point of the device that there’s no screen and you talk to it? You can’t clip your phone to your chest.
Not that I would buy the device, it seems like they are trying to sell a story or futurism vibe to replace the “classic smartphone experience”.
yamanii@lemmy.world 6 months ago
It’s just a toy, a neat gadget, I also wouldn’t care if it was an app, it would be just another gpt frontend
valid@lemmynsfw.com 6 months ago
Kadaj21@lemmy.world 6 months ago
And bere I thought it was referencing my car.
dojan@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I mean these kinds of “AI companions” are grifts anyway. They won’t take off because they are a solution looking for a problem. They aren’t as affordable as the entry level HomePod/Amazon Pod/Google Home units, so they can’t be bought as a “why not, and it’s a speaker anyway” type thing. They don’t have any secondary functionality you don’t already have in your phone.
And if that’s not enough, you can bet your cute arse on that Apple and Google are both working on bringing LLM functions into their assistants, basically making these units obsolete.
The moment that these companies decide that they can’t afford to pay for servers and API subscriptions anymore, the service will die and you’ll end up with a colourful brick. Don’t buy these things, they’re unfinished and will die within a year or two.
PseudorandomNoise@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The ultimate issue is exactly what you said; phones exist. I’m not carrying another voice assistant around when both Siri and Google Assistant can be installed on my phone.
Based on MKBHD’s review this whole product category definitely screams “solution in search of a problem”
GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Like, I can imagine a world where a smart watch replaces my phone for day to day stuff, but that’s because I’m in that weird space where I prefer a laptop for almost anything serious, but still appreciate the convenience and functionality of remaining connected wherever I am, even if I’m on the move.
But another device I need to keep in my pocket? What’s the point?
AIhasUse@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Rabbit has a SIM slot. I think the idea is that once its software gets better, it will be able to be a replacement for a phone for people who just want to quickly do simple things. Its battery seems to be pretty rubbish, though, and for now, the software is not nearly good enough.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Yeah, build this into a watch or Earbud that I already have on person for other reasons but gives me hands free access to a decent AI when I don’t have my phone on me, and I might have some interest.
JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 6 months ago
What phone is that that supports both Siri and Google Assistant on the same device?
Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Absolutely a grift.
The CEO is a fucking joke. This is their bio on linkedin.
RobotZap10000@feddit.nl 6 months ago
The resume of someome who had never done an honest day’s work in their life.
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Only the first item is related to business, and even that implies repeated failure.
Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Solutions looking for problems is a mainstay in multiple industries from material science to chemistry. It’s not necessarily a bad idea.
Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
In the early days of laser development, it was seen as a solution seeking a problem. A few decades later, it actually turned out to be really handy, but it would have been tough to sell this idea to anyone before that. Imagine how hard it is to find funding for research that solves a problem that doesn’t exist.
Aqarius@lemmy.world 6 months ago
In development and science, sure. But this is a finished product on the market.
helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They’re a solution looking to solve a problem that already has a well established better solution. The modern smart phone and voice assistats have been around for 14+ years…
For all these Ai devices can currently accomplish, our budget $200 phones can do an unmeasurable amount more.
If anyrhing, they should be focusing on the voice assistant aspect - “Hey google, add nearest gas station to my trip” “Here’s a list of gas stations (I know you’re driving but please review this list and select one using the tiny select button)” {presses button} “Please enable location data analytics to continue”
cley_faye@lemmy.world 6 months ago
In addition to being able to run the exact same thing on that phone you already have, too.
Their device does not have any specific hardware for their usage. Even if Google and Apple don’t bring any improvement to their own solution, soon enough someone is bound to just provide an “assistant AI app” with a subscription, proxying openai requests and using the touchscreen, camera, micro and speaker that are already there instead of making you buy a new set of those.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The “AI” in the R1 is utter shit. Wired eviscerated it in a review.
www.wired.com/review/rabbit-r1/
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I think there may be a market for an LMM that is executed locally and privately incorporates personal data.
TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 6 months ago
I think there's already a way to forward Google Home requests directly to ChatGPT.
dojan@lemmy.world 6 months ago
That wouldn’t surprise me. I think there’s a Siri shortcut for integrating with ChatGPT. It’s not the most elegant of solutions but it works well enough. I’m quite sure that this year we’ll see whatever Google and Apple has cooked up in terms of machine learning integration into the operating systems. Likely a flagship feature of the new Pixel phones, and definitely a significant Siri update on iPhone, probably along with some gimmicky feature to sell the new 16 Pros.
At that point, who is going to care about these devices?