Rabbit R1the bright orange AI gadget that was the talk of the town CES 2024was unveiled and demonstrated at a private event in New York last week. The “pick-up party,” as the company called it, was exclusive to the first few hundred buyers and now we’re seeing some first hands-on impressions. Looking through all the stories on the device, it looks like everyone had more or less similar thoughts about it. We’ve put together some of the most common praise and criticism from around the internet in one place to help you figure out if the R1 is right for you.
Before we begin, in case you’ve heard of this device but are still not sure what the heck it is Really is read my explainer on this First.
Way too many comparisons to Humane’s AI pin
The recently published Humane AI pin and the Rabbit R1 have a similar concept. Both have the ambition to be your first “AI companion”. Coincidentally (unless it wasn’t a coincidence), the devices were released within a few weeks of each other. Apparently reviewers couldn’t help but compare them, and one refrain stood out in every preview of the R1: “At least it doesn’t suck like the Humane pin.”
While no one has yet tested the R1’s full capabilities, there are key, obvious factors that already give it an edge over Humane’s device, with price being the first and foremost. Even if this whole AI companion thing turns out to be disappointing, consumers would rather waste $200 on the R1 than $700 on the Pin. It makes sense; It’s a new concept with a lot of work still in progress, and putting a $700 tag on an unfinished device in development isn’t ideal.
By all accounts, Humane’s pin was too futuristic for his own good. The entire laser projection feature they tried on the device wasn’t really successful. David Pierce, out The edgereports: “I like this much better [R1’s] Interface to the Humane AI Pin – because there’s a screen and you can see how the thing works, so the AI delays don’t feel quite so endless.”
No subscription fee for the R1, unlike the monthly fee for the AI Pin, is another big reason why the former is currently more attractive. And Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu repeated this several times at the pickup party, constantly throwing shade at the competing AI device.
Aside from the overly innovative approach that Humane tried and failed to take, there was also something about the look of its device that put a lot of people off. Most reviewers prefer the R1’s quirky, goofy aesthetic. “The R1 simply exudes character. From the funny feature names to the retro aesthetic […] Rabbit and Teenage Engineering have developed something that has much more flavor than Humane’s almost clinical appearance and approach,” writes Cherlynn Low Engadget.
It makes everyone nostalgic
While we’re talking aesthetics, I’d like to add that at the moment it seems like that’s only half of its appeal. The industry can’t stop raving about all the nostalgia it evokes. Apparently the pick up party was organized in the same way. “The entire venue was a nod to retro vibes and the entrance to Rabbit’s event was lined with display cases containing gadgets like a Pokedex, a Sony Watchman, a Motorola pager, Game Boy Color and more.” Engadget writes.
The company strives for a certain charisma, and it obviously succeeds. Most reporters admit that they like this device simply because it brings them back. Kimberly Gedeon from Crushable wrote: “It’s the nostalgia. With the cute black and white rabbit icon bouncing up and down on the screen surrounded by a “loud” color, the device reminded me of my childhood obsession with pocket toys like Tamagotchi or Digimon from the 90s. Many thanks to Teenage Engineering for developing this AI device. The Rabbit R1 makes me feel like a kid again.”
Engadget and The Verge both admit that the device’s appeal comes more from its old-fashioned look than build quality. Engadget writes, “It didn’t feel premium or durable; It felt good because it reminded me of my childhood.” The Verge says the device is “not luxurious or even particularly high-end, just silly and fun.” While Humane’s AI Pin feels like a carefully sculpted metal jewel , the R1 feels like an old-school MP3 player crossed with a fidget spinner.”
It’s still learning to walk
According to initial reviews, the R1 is still in the discovery phase. It does some things well, but struggles in other areas. Ryan from Android Authority reported, “I saw the R1 shine, and I saw it stumble.” Engadget and Mashable had relatively positive interactions with it and were impressed with the response time, while The Verge said there were significant delays.
It also once completely messed up The Verge’s order. They write: “I asked for ‘Beyoncé’s New Album’ and the device excitedly went and found me ‘Crazy in Love’ – a lullaby version by an artist called ‘Rockabye Baby!’
In any case, keep in mind that most people haven’t put the R1 through its paces yet. All that was asked was to display the temperature or play a song. The integrated voice assistants on our phones can also handle this without any problems. The real test of this device will be its training mode, where you can teach it to interact with any site of your choice and it will then be able to do so on its own.
An unfinished product
The R1 is in the works and the CEO is quite transparent about it. According to Engadget: “Lyu made a lot of promises to the audience, seemingly acknowledging that the R1 may not be fully featured when it gets into their hands.” Even on the company’s website there is a list of planned ones in the works existing or researched functions. Throughout his speech, Lyu repeated the phrase, “We will work on it.”
This explains why most people who got their hands on it weren’t thrilled with its current functionality. It feels very ChatGPT-like right now, except it can actually execute commands for you — like calling an Uber account or ordering food from DoorDash. Your phone is certainly capable of this. Using the camera on the device or the rabbit eye, “you can point at any object and it will then alert you about it.” It’s very Google Lens. Heck, even my iPhone can do this functionality too,” reports Mashable.
According to Android Authority, “Rabbit’s software is still in its infancy. The entire R1 experience is pretty basic right from the start, offering a total of nine out-of-the-box features from day one – each of which is almost identical to what your smartphone can already do and is a little more of a headache to set up.”
If anything, you may initially feel limited by the nine services you can use on it until you teach it macros and train it for the services of your choice. Android Authority adds: “Currently, the R1 supports music playback, ride-sharing, and food delivery via Spotify, Uber, and Doordash.” However, it only supports those apps – you can’t choose Lyft, Tidal, or even Uber Eats instead.”
There aren’t enough at the moment, and being honest is one thing, but it looks like there have also been a few instances where the R1 hasn’t lived up to its promise. According to The Verge, “It can’t send emails or create spreadsheets, although Lyu has been demonstrating both for months.”
Why couldn’t this just be an app?
Whenever a company offers something out-of-the-box, consumers tend to ask why it couldn’t just be an app.
Currently, people who have spent time with this device cannot answer this question. Android Authority says: “I have a hard time coming up with a good answer when someone asks me why this isn’t just an app. “To be honest, I’ve yet to experience a situation where I’d actually rather fish that phone-like device out of my pocket to use one of its relatively limited features when I already have a phone that has far more features.”
This means the R1 has to do more. They’re trying to lure consumers with the promise of convenience and minimizing the number of taps on their phone, but I doubt anyone would pay that amount just to reduce the number of taps on their phone.