Two Ex-Apple Rock Stars Have Raised $30M To Build the Next iPhone (fastcompany.com) 67
In 2017, two of Apple's top design and technology executives decided to leave the company to start their own venture with an ambitious vision: to create the next big computing paradigm. That startup, called Humane, is now announcing that it has raised $30 million in a series A round of venture funding to continue developing its mysterious product. From a report: While cofounders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno refuse to reveal what they're working on, its cofounders seem to believe it will have the same kind of impact as the iPhone -- which is saying a lot, given that one of them designed the iPhone's original interface. "We are at a point in terms of computing platforms where there's a certain level of maturation that's led to a decline in innovation," says Humane president and chairman Chaudhri, who worked on the UI design of the iPhone and the iPad during his 21 years at Apple. "For us, it's really about how we actually bring vitality and how we bring a new opportunity to computing. How do we move the needle?" It's impossible to have an opinion about the potential impact of Humane's creation until it reveals at least some details. Tony Fadell, who spearheaded the iPod and also helped bring us the iPhone, left Apple over a decade ago and soon after started talking about "a product that could have a huge impact on a big problem," as he told The New York Times in 2011. His startup Nest's creation turned out to be a thermostat. But Humane is certainly dialing up the expectations for whatever it's working on.
The startup's ambitions derive in part from Chaudhri reckoning with the downsides of the products he was instrumental in creating --particularly the ways in which smartphones can nag at and monopolize our attention while siphoning away private data for corporations to profit from. But that doesn't mean that Chaudhri and Bongiorno, a former director of software engineering at Apple who worked with Chaudhri to launch the iPad, believe that technology is a net negative force in society. "We're tech optimists at heart," says Bongiorno, who is Humane's CEO. "But we believe it's also time to question everything to build something better." Instead, they're betting that the time is right for a new, less invasive way to interface with computers. It's a compelling vision, despite the lack of details. "Every product, especially in computing, has a limitation in terms of how far it can go, what it can do before it starts to really become exhausted. That's exhausted in terms of creativity, exhausted in terms of usefulness, exhausted in terms of the experience of using it as well," Chaudhri says. "This is a cyclical thing that's always occurred. Some people from a certain perspective call it a 15-year cycle. We're coming on that for the smartphone." More on this on Jason Calacanis's podcast.
The startup's ambitions derive in part from Chaudhri reckoning with the downsides of the products he was instrumental in creating --particularly the ways in which smartphones can nag at and monopolize our attention while siphoning away private data for corporations to profit from. But that doesn't mean that Chaudhri and Bongiorno, a former director of software engineering at Apple who worked with Chaudhri to launch the iPad, believe that technology is a net negative force in society. "We're tech optimists at heart," says Bongiorno, who is Humane's CEO. "But we believe it's also time to question everything to build something better." Instead, they're betting that the time is right for a new, less invasive way to interface with computers. It's a compelling vision, despite the lack of details. "Every product, especially in computing, has a limitation in terms of how far it can go, what it can do before it starts to really become exhausted. That's exhausted in terms of creativity, exhausted in terms of usefulness, exhausted in terms of the experience of using it as well," Chaudhri says. "This is a cyclical thing that's always occurred. Some people from a certain perspective call it a 15-year cycle. We're coming on that for the smartphone." More on this on Jason Calacanis's podcast.
"iPhone Killer".... again (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm no fan of iProducts, but how many times do we have to hear an iPhone killer announcement that basically has no teeth?
Re: (Score:2)
And I have to wonder how the conversation with investors goes. Hey, give us money! What for? It is super secret, we can't tell you. Oh ok, here's $30MM, Being a VC must be a surreal experience.
Re: (Score:2)
Who knows how successful this might be. It certainly sounds tough to pull off but if it's a small team of really talented people they might just be able to do something big. Remember the mythical man month. Throwing more people into the mix this early would just be extra
Re: (Score:2)
As far as what they can do with it, it seems like it would limit them to off the shelf components. They can't carry a top tier chip designer and a top tier screen designer and top tier UI tweaker and an audio person and....etc etc.etc, long enough to deliver even a prototype on $3
Re: (Score:2)
Ok...I know that $30M is short for 30 Million dollars.
WTF is $30MM short for? Is it 30 Million Million?
If so, then these guys hit the VC jackpot of the universe!!!
Re: (Score:2)
In accounting, "M" means 1000. "MM" means a million.
To prevent ambiguity, it is more common today to see accountants use "K" for 1000 and "MM" for a million.
Re: (Score:2)
Wow, interesting.
Well, I learn something new every day!!
Thanks!
Re: (Score:2)
The one winner easily pays for the other twenty losers.
Yes but that does not mean you throw money at a weak vaporware based plan. The VCs initially thought every one of those 20 failures were strong candidates that could produce insanely big winners.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Early VCs don't have to seek out strong candidates with a somewhat viable product, they just need to find founders who are good at selling their idea and able to keep the dog & pony show going, until the VCs can unload on to the next investors (also known as bag holders)
Nah. Its the dumb money that comes in first because they fell in love with an idea or persons. Then later the smart money comes along, disregards everything the team says and ignores every number presented and then does their own research on the potential venture, does their own numbers. Then comparing theirs to the founder's to establish a level of BS offered by the "founders".
Re: (Score:2)
To pass this off to the "bag holders", they are going to need a working prototype.
They aren't going to build that with $30M.
Apple spends more than that on one chip.
Re: "iPhone Killer".... again (Score:2)
It's a massive Kickstarter campaign, but with no product description.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Hope is a wonderful thing. But in this case....how far is $30MM going to get them? Probably nowhere. And I have to wonder how the conversation with investors goes. Hey, give us money! What for? It is super secret, we can't tell you. Oh ok, here's $30MM, Being a VC must be a surreal experience.
Just because they won't tell us doesn't mean that they didn't tell the VCs.
The potential VCs probably had to sign NDAs before seeing the full prospectus, and it's unlikely that they invested without seeing something describing the product, development cost, and potential market.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, VCs can't be wrong, just ask Juicera.
Re: "iPhone Killer".... again (Score:2)
Pets.com
Re: (Score:2)
Pets.com
The VCs were not wrong about Pets.com.
They cashed out before it collapsed.
Re: (Score:2)
It is not secret for the investor.
The sign a so called "non disclosure agreement" (NDA). Before that is not signed, of course there are no in depth talk about the idea.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm no fan of iProducts, but how many times do we have to hear an iPhone killer announcement that basically has no teeth?
With a company name like Humane, the concept of actually designing and manufacturing hardware humanely might be the differentiator one needs, particularly on the post-COVID world of global nationalism as the world shifts perspectives inward.
Of course that's just me optimistically spitballing about a new US company. For all we know these two Greedsters rolled up another fat-cat business idea to smoke consumers with, blowing that "humane" concept of mine out a mouth asshole, along with any concern about priv
Re: (Score:2)
With a company name like Humane, the concept of actually designing and manufacturing hardware humanely might be the differentiator
Several problems:
1. Few consumers actually give a crap how their stuff is made.
2. There are no good alternatives to manufacturing in southern China.
3. The people assembling iPhones are actually treated well. The myths about "sweatshops" are mostly bullcrap.
Re: (Score:2)
With a company name like Humane, the concept of actually designing and manufacturing hardware humanely might be the differentiator
Several problems: 1. Few consumers actually give a crap how their stuff is made.
Few consumers actually know how their stuff is made.
2. There are no good alternatives to manufacturing in southern China.
Their are no cheap alternatives to manufacturing in southern China. For a trillion-dollar company charging over $1000 for a smartphone, that's basically Greed talking. It can be done elsewhere, and likely will soon enough.
3. The people assembling iPhones are actually treated well. The myths about "sweatshops" are mostly bullcrap.
Wow. ONE very well known product has humane manufacturing behind it. I wonder how the other 99% of workers are treated? Sure is a good thing sweatshops don't exist now that you've confirmed it and all...
Re: (Score:2)
Often, but I don't think they plan on designing a phone. They describe it as "next big computing paradigm". My guess would be some kind of home-automation/integration system for a fully digital home. But what do I know.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
By mobile hotspot with SIM card. That gives you internet and SMS (albeit SMS is likely clumsy via a web interface). For phone calls use a phone. Usually a phone can be integrated into your laptop / desktop via bluetooth.
Re: "iPhone Killer".... again (Score:2)
There is a near-seamless progression between desktops-laptops-tablets-phones, where would this new 'paradigm' squeeze in?
Re: (Score:2)
VR or watches.
After tech has significantly improved, of course. PDAs were all well and good but they weren't a Big Computing Paradigm until joe sixpack could get one that came with color, mp3s, texting his buddies about the game last night and his wife about razor scooters for the kids, fruit ninja, facebook, etc
So the arrival of VR and watches is all well and good, but the seamless displacement isn't here. "It can be done, a usable version exists" isn't seamless. Gonna need more power under the hood, and i
Re: "iPhone Killer".... again (Score:2)
This very much reminds me of the lead-up to the 'revolution in personal transportation' - the Segway - and likely as impactful.
Re: (Score:2)
Also I am a bit sketchy on them being Apple Rock Star Developers.
It sounds like to me, some high ranking designers, got sick of making compromises from their particular artistic vision. Thus will probably make a device that is too expensive for the general, or just too specialized for the designers idea on how we use a device for it to be liked by the average person.
The real iPhone killer, probably won't be called an iPhone Killer, at some point a new device will come out that is so unique that people over
Re: (Score:2)
I'm no fan of iProducts, but how many times do we have to hear an iPhone killer announcement that basically has no teeth?
It's different if the announcement is by someone who was actually part of iPhone development. Let's see what they come up with.
Calling it now... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
"That startup, called Humane" (Score:3)
Who wants to bet they use 3rd world labor?
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, maybe they'll build a plant in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, with covid, there's a LOT of people out there that need a job.
Will it be yet another Android (Score:2)
Rock stars? (Score:3)
So these are not very bright people then.
Re: (Score:3)
So these are not very bright people then.
Don't over generalize [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
I knew that and there are a couple of other ones, but generally speaking, they are rarely the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Re: (Score:2)
The title says:
Two Ex-Apple Rock Stars
The article is talking about Apple Records, the label owned by "The Beatles", and not Apple Inc., the technology gadget company.
Apple Inc. has tried to sue Apple Records many times for copyright infringement, since it is very easy for consumers to confuse a British 60's pop band, with innovative technology gadgets.
So the two guys behind this company are none other than Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Have any of you seen the two in the last months . . . ? That's why!
Hey, did hordes of squ
Re: (Score:2)
> Apple Inc. has tried to sue Apple Records many times for copyright infringement,
Sosumi
The next big computing paradigm (Score:1)
My hype-detector just went off scale, I need to replace the fuse now.
Re: (Score:2)
My bullshit gauge needle jumped straight through its screen when I read "How do we move the needle?"
Corporatespeak at its finest.
Re: (Score:2)
If you're reading this site I'm surprised that you haven't replaced the fuses with a circuit breaker as you'd be replacing so many fuses the cost to change it to a circuit breaker would easily be repaid within a year.
Yeah but... (Score:2)
will it be essential?
Re: (Score:2)
will it be essential?
Uh -
"... refuse to reveal what they're working on..."
Going with "... no."
new product (Score:1)
I'm giving them a bit more of a chance for success given they are from Apple, but all of this rings of the ex google superstars that left to start their own replacement search engine - kewl - or something like that.
Fingers crossed for this group that this project isn't a dud
"Rock Stars" are widely known, these two are not (Score:3)
The fact that the investors backing these two are focusing on personality, and riding Apple's coattails, rather than on technology suggests an incredibly weak starting position. I.e. vaporware.
iPhones are on the decline (Score:2)
Outside the US it's done poorly for a while.
Re: (Score:2)
Globally, they have about 50% of the profits from the smartphone market.
They don't sell a $100 model for the 3rd world market, so their percentage of the market has gone down, even while their amount sold globally has gone up.
Anyway, obviously a new cell phone would be competing with Android as well.
Lots of promises (Score:2)
Also, although they may have worked on the iPhone that doesn't mean they're capable of coming up with something groundbreaking.
Re: (Score:2)
Investments do not work like that.
The do no need "adds" on that level to catch attention.
This is why people want to work for FAANGs (Score:2)
What could they do? (Score:2)
What worthwhile UI innovation could they pull off that can't be tacked onto iOS and Android?
Just $30 million isn't going to go far towards some astounding jump in battery life or cpu power.
Besides, they are UX guys. This is likely to be an app to demo a phone with different dancing baloney.
A new smartphone! Finally! (Score:2)
"despite the lack of details" (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
LOL came to say the same thing. There is utterly nothing compelling about this, nor is it a vision.
No, it's not a compelling vision (Score:2)
"Instead, they're betting that the time is right for a new, less invasive way to interface with computers. It's a compelling vision, despite the lack of details."
It is in no way a "compelling vision" because it's not a vision at all, it's just a few obtuse words, and to the extent it says anything at all, there's nothing compelling about it.
This is what's wrong with Silicon Valley.
Re: No, it's not a compelling vision (Score:2)
"interface with computers"?
We currently 'interface' with computers through touch, sight, audio/spoken word, what's left?
Re: (Score:2)
People have been dreaming of a world where we just speak to computers and they understand us all of the time. But that vision of interfacing with a computer seems like some sort of hell to me, even if they someone managed to get the computer to correctly understand our voice 100% of the time. Imagine trying to work in the office, at least something like in pre-COVID times, in which everyone is speaking to the computer for every little task and you are trying to think about your project. Or you are on mass t
Re: No, it's not a compelling vision (Score:2)
People can't do 100% voice recognition, why do you imagine a computer can?
Wow, I've heard this before.... (Score:2)
Lemme guess- we are getting another electric scooter, this time one with a touchscreen
Happy Halloween (Score:2)
In 2017, two of Apple's top design and technology executives decided to leave the company to start their own venture with an ambitious vision: to create the next big computing paradigm.
Are they planning on exhuming Steve Jobs and reanimating his corpse? Because that's what they're going to need to 'create the next big computing paradigm.' Oh well, at least they're being seasonally appropriate. I look forward to the Second Coming of the be-turtlenecked one. Zombie Steve Jobs would be a fitting cap to 2020.
The startup's ambitions derive in part from Chaudhri reckoning with the downsides of the products he was instrumental in creating --particularly the ways in which smartphones can nag at and monopolize our attention while siphoning away private data for corporations to profit from.
Those are not downsides to the vendors of such products. Those are features that make shitloads of money for vendors of such products. Any product that lacks those features will fai
Throwing Shade at Tony Fadell (Score:1)
Rock stars? LOL (Score:1)
Here we go:
Ready
Set
Garbage!
I don't think they'll come up with anything.