- Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber says today’s AI gadgets are “solutions looking for a problem that doesn’t exist”
- Reddit users largely agree, criticising AI hardware as overpriced, unnecessary, and slower than using a phone
- Could Jony Ive’s collaboration with OpenAI change people’s minds?
Startups around the globe are trying to create the next big hardware product that sees the iPhone-ification of a dedicated AI device.
We’ve seen plenty of failed attempts from the Rabbit R1 to the Humane Pin, and now Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber has chimed in by saying, “What’s out there is a solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist.”
With 2026 on the horizon, and the looming product reveal of whatever legendary Apple designer, Jony Ive, and OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, are working on, will this new device change Faber’s mind? Or is she just saying what the rest of us are thinking?
AI hardware is yet to spark any interest
In her interview with Bloomberg, Faber, who took over as CEO of Logitech two years ago, said, “The company is a strong proponent of AI,” but it aims to find clever uses for the technology in its class-leading peripherals rather than a dedicated device itself.
Just recently, Logitech launched the MX Master 4, an upgrade to the world’s most popular computer mouse, and the new version offers a shortcut to ChatGPT or Copilot. That said, it’s a thoughtful inclusion of AI, rather than forcefully adding the software just to tout the current buzzword in marketing.
Faber’s point is simple: AI has been brilliant for software and accessories, and Logitech has happily used it to make smarter mice and keyboards. But building entire pieces of hardware around AI alone feels like a stretch.
It’s not that the tech isn’t impressive; it’s that no one has convincingly explained why you need a standalone AI device in your pocket when your phone already does most of the work without the subscription fees or experimental interfaces.
Consumers seem to agree
You don’t need to look far to find criticism of AI-dedicated devices online. In fact, I’d love to see sales figures for the most popular offerings like the Rabbit R1 or Humane Pin, considering they essentially tanked upon release.
In a Reddit thread sharing Faber’s interview with Bloomberg, users have shared their opinions on AI hardware, and it’s fair to say the Logitech CEO is voicing the consensus of the average consumer.
One user said, “Money looking for more money,” which neatly sums up the sentiment. Another joked, “I got 99 problems, and AI is 1000 of them.” While the most upvoted comment came from someone who said voice interaction is still a terrible interface, and that no amount of AI magic can fix the fact that talking to gadgets can be slower and clunkier than tapping a screen.
Faber isn’t dismissing AI entirely; she’s saying the timing is off. The value isn’t clear yet, and until someone builds an AI device that does something your phone can’t already do faster, cheaper, and without a learning curve, people will continue to ask why these products exist.
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john-anthony.disotto@futurenet.com (John-Anthony Disotto)
