This will absolutely be a commercial failure. I don't harbor any ill will to anybody in the company, and I wish them the best, but a voice interface in public is a complete non-starter. What is the use-case for this device for which a comparably-priced smartphone isn't better...much better? The only real distinguishing feature this thing has over a smartphone is projection, and even that doesn't seem too difficult to tack onto future models.
Once the AI Pin replies with a "sorry, couldn't get that" a few times, people will give up on it and reach for their phones. I could see it finding some success in the accessibility market, but outside of niche applications, I don't think this thing sticks around.
"...a voice interface in public is a complete non-starter."
As I sit in a crowded coffee shop at a shared table, with three people who are on meetings and talking away about sensitive things. Right next to one another! Along the wall there are two people chatting on their phones to family, one of them on speaker.
Once the AI Pin replies with a "sorry, couldn't get that" a few times, people will give up on it and reach for their phones. I could see it finding some success in the accessibility market, but outside of niche applications, I don't think this thing sticks around.