Logitech CEO Says AI Gadget Makers Are Chasing Problems That Don’t Exist
In a refreshing change of pace from current trends, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber suggests the peripheral maker is taking a more tempered approach to AI features and product launches, and is learning from the mistakes of others. You don't have to look very far to see those mistakes, with products like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 both flopping.
"What's out there is a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist," Faber told Bloomberg in an interview.
One could argue if that's truly the case, but either way, dedicated AI products in the consumer space are proving to be tough sledding. Humane, for example, had big aspirations for its AI Pin, a wearable gadget that released to harsh reviews and may have ultimately been doomed by its $24 monthly subscription cost.
That's not to say Logitech isn't interested in AI at all. The company recently launched its MX Master 4 mouse that has the ability to fire up AI services like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and others (via Logitech's AI Prompt Builder tool) with the click of a button.
Another example is Logitech's MX Brio webcam, which offers AI faced-based image enhancements, and its older, motorized QuickCam Orbit AF that uses AI to trace a user's face and keep it in the center of the frame. So it's not as if Logitech is ignoring AI, it's just taking a more cautious approach and not beating consumers over the head with AI marketing.
Of course, Logitech isn't immune from making missteps. In July of last year, Faber sparked a fan backlash when discussing a "forever mouse" concept with a subscription-based model. The idea of essentially having DLC for a mouse didn't sit well, and it prompted Logitech's head of communications, Nicole Kenyon, to release a statement saying "there are no plans" to release such a product.
The other interesting tidbit from Faber's interview had to do with price hikes. Faber told the outlet that Logitech was quick to respond to tariffs with price increase and has no regrets because "it had to be done and it was better to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid than kind of drag our feet, which some others did."
We'll leave it up to you to decide if that was the right approach or not. However, one thing we can definitely say (which is totally unrelated) is that Logitech get back into the business of universal remotes. Logitech's Harmony Elite universal remote is one of my favorite gadgets of all time, and I'll be super bummed when it eventually gives up the ghost.
