Rabbit R1 & The Resurgence of Hardware in Product Design: Why?
At certain junctures in our lifetimes, certain figures emerge and they change the course of history.
No, hold on a second. I didn’t plan to start that way.
Well, you’ve probably seen and heard of this new orange handheld device. Simply put, it’s meant to be an AI pocket device. You get to speak to it and it learns and perform tasks for you. It’s called the R1 developed by rabbit.tech. The product launch itself has generated so much interest and has caused a storm of discussions online. In fact, the company itself reported that all of their 10,000 units have been sold out. That I am writing about it, suggests it might just be more than a small pocket device.
To reference my intro, this singular event — while it might be insignificant in the grand scheme of things — might just be the launchpad for a transformation of the product and design landscape: the resurgence of hardware design in the technology design process. This should lead us to one talking point you’ve seen online. “Why not just software? Don’t we all have phones already?”
You see, that’s the problem. Apart from what the manufacturers said as the reason for opting for hardware, hardware design has peaked and stagnated for a while. You couldn’t think of a smartphone manufacturer who didn’t want to be like Apple. Everyone designed their device in some way that looked just like the iPhone but with enough difference to tell it apart. And every year, the designs never change. It’s either faster this or pixelly-denser that. People joke about it every time. Only a few people saw it as a problem. You could almost tell what the design for the next device would be. Except one has a dearth in innovation, there was no way you wouldn’t seek something new. Then, came along AI wearables.
R1 isn’t the first AI hardware device announced. It won’t be the last. One reason these devices get the buzz is because people are getting to witness something they’ve been deprived of in a long time. A device one can truly love. The pursuit for something different is intriguing.
At the very base, hardware is king. A lot of people seem to forget that the world runs on hardware. It is the basis of emotions to the virtual world and the channel of feelings from computers to human. You get to unbox a new device with amsement. You panic when it falls on concrete or is at risk of being damaged. You can hold it. If you’re going out, you can feel it with you. It’s hardware. The design of it is another message from one dimension and time into another. This is why hardware was a better answer. Ask yourself, if Rabbit Tech actually just built software and not a device, who would care? How many more products fade away on Product Hunt every day?
So, how does this change the landscape in product & design from now?
Look, we won’t focus on the form but on the substance. R1 (device or company) might not change anything. It might even be another device that people buy and never use again. But here’s the thing, it’ll serve as a link in a chain of events where companies begin to look into hardware design. You’ve probably heard of the quote:
“People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” — Alan Kay
Individuals and companies that seek to unlock an extra but powerful dimension in technology design might need to start exploring this avenue.
I am a designer in product and I’ll add a word for designers, developers and product persons reading this. You should begin to look beyond designing and building for mobile and web screens. You need to start thinking of building for the various operating systems (OS) that may spring off of companies creating their own hardware. It might get chaotic. Don’t worry about that. Just be in contention. It might even end abruptly. Well, at least you’d have spent your time creating something new. You should also lend your support to companies in the race to create things outside the usual. It might sound far-fetched but your career might just depend on it. There’s a sea of opportunites to come.
Be a part.
