After Humane and Rabbit comes Iyo with his AI-powered headphones. His appearance is indescribable

They promise to bring a “computer” to your ears. They start at $600, have questionable designs, and feature a utility focused on generative artificial intelligence.

There is a definite trend, perhaps a fad, perhaps an attempt to be the first to strike a budding market around AI-powered devices. There are quite a few examples, but the two most important – and unsuccessful – are “Rabbit” and “Man”, two sides of the same coin: more noise than nothing.

Because there are many waves left hype To surf, there are those who keep turning the crank with another attempt. Like Iyo and its AI-powered Iyo One headphones.

Because it’s important. Interest in new product formats that take advantage of large language models (LLMs) in our daily lives is at its highest, although no one has found the key to this at the moment. Iyo aims to integrate generative AI into an existing device (headphones), rather than into an exotic invention (lapel projector, red Tamagotchi).

It must be admitted that Iyo does not seek to invent a new forced category, but rather to give continuity to an established form factor.

Iyo One Keys:

• Two versions: Wi-Fi only ($599) or Wi-Fi + 4G ($699).
• Specifications: 4nm AI processor, 1-2GB RAM, 16-32GB internal storage and IP68 waterproof.
• Integrated chatbots to help with email, messages, calls, navigation, music… All with voice commands.
• Immersive audio with head tracking and presence and immersion modes (noise cancellation).
• Iyo offers “immediate benefits” not only in artificial intelligence, but also in sound quality and comfort.
• It does not require its own data plan like Humane, except for the 4G version, but with the operator we want.
• Your design will find its audience, but is unlikely to win awards.

Origins of Iyo. This company was founded in 2019 by former Alphabet employees, and was actually incubated in the Alphabet X labs. In 2021, it became independent from parent company Google, which continued to be an investor but did not exercise any control.

Iyo already sells Vad Pro USB-C wired headphones designed for spatial audio. Its price is $1650. We didn’t eat any coms. The One is their first wireless model.

Big doubt. The wireless headphone market is a tough one. A lot of. Iyo, a completely unknown brand besides Sennheniser, Bose or JBL, competes with Apple, Samsung or Google, with Chinese brands lagging behind in price. Will the AI ​​hook be enough to justify the Iyo One’s high price and gain a foothold?

The startup hopes that audio quality and a top-notch experience will help them differentiate themselves from AI from day one based on the messages they convey. Achieving this is another story.

Eventually. After the failures of Humane and Rabbit, offering a familiar device rather than wanting to stand out with a new one is a different start. If they can combine the usefulness of artificial intelligence with top-notch audio quality, they could find their niche.

Now the biggest threat will be that Apple, Samsung and company will release their own headphones with built-in artificial intelligence or that they will make much better use of pairing them with a mobile phone. And that’s not to mention OpenAI, which has acquired conversational capabilities and is seeking funding for its own devices.

Featured Image | Ayo

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