Meta's hardware strategy seems to be no longer limited to the Quest headset or Ray-Ban smart glasses. It recently announced the acquisition of AI wearable startup Limitless, which is named after the software "Rewind" and the AI pendant "Pendant" that can record and summarize conversations.
Dedicated to building "personal super intelligence," the Pendant team merged into Meta.
Limitless CEO Dan Siroker communicated via video and official blogThis news has been confirmed.Meta recently announced a new vision to bring "Personal Superintelligence" to everyone, and creating outstanding AI wearable devices will be key to realizing this vision.
Following this acquisition, the Limitless team will join Meta to assist in the development of future consumer hardware.
This acquisition now suggests that Meta is showing great interest in non-glasses wearable devices, since not all users are willing to wear glasses all day long. Lightweight clip-on devices like Pendant, which can leverage the speech-to-text and summarization functions that AI models excel at, could become an ideal form of personal assistant.
Pendant sales cease immediately; existing users will enjoy free service.
With the acquisition finalized, Limitless announced that it will cease selling Pendant hardware effective immediately. For existing users, the company has made the following commitment:
• Continuous support:Software service and support will be maintained for at least one year.
• Cancel the fee:Existing users can use all features directly without paying a subscription fee.
• Data autonomy:If a user decides to discontinue using Limitless, they can choose to export or delete the data stored there.
Recruiting top Apple designers and following in Amazon's footsteps
Analysis indicates that this wave of acquisitions of AI wearable devices is not unique to Meta; Amazon acquired Bee, a similar AI wearable company, in July of this year.
Given Meta's recent major move to poach Alan Dye, former Senior Vice President of Interface Design at Apple, to head the newly established creative studio at Meta Reality Labs, it's speculated that Meta is preparing to expand its hardware product line. In the future, Ray-Ban smart glasses may just be one piece in a series of AI devices; Meta may launch more diverse and aesthetically pleasing wearable AI devices to seize the personal computing gateway in the post-smartphone era.
