At a launch event in Beijing, the founder and CEO of Mobii, Li Zhifei, announced the release of a new AI hardware product - TicNote, a device equipped with an intelligent agent AI system. TicNote is only 3mm thick and can be directly attached to the back of a phone via magnetic attraction. It is powered by Shadow AI technology based on large language models such as DeepSeek-R1, supporting functions like AI transcription, summarization, and mind map generation. It also features over 20 hours of recording time and supports more than 120 languages.
Li Zhifei stated at the event that the goal of general artificial intelligence (AGI) is to free up 80% of manual work, and this goal has already been achieved in the software field. However, he expressed doubt about the feasibility of large models, believing that most AI companies struggle to find their own value. He candidly said: "Large models are not something we can afford."
Image source note: The image was generated by AI, and the image licensing service provider is Midjourney.
Looking back at Mobii's development journey, Li Zhifei said that the early smartwatches and speakers he launched made him feel anxious because they lacked a user experience-first approach. He emphasized that TicNote is not just hardware but also a carrier of AI software, aiming to continuously iterate and upgrade to better serve professional users in fields such as finance and writing.
When discussing the market prospects for AI glasses, Li Zhifei spoke frankly, stating that there is currently not enough market demand. He mentioned issues with weight, power consumption, and heat in AI glasses, saying that he had tried similar products before but ultimately found the user experience unsatisfactory. "I think power consumption is a big problem," he summarized.
Additionally, Li Zhifei revealed that Mobii will launch more products featuring Shadow AI, such as the TicNote Watch smartwatch and the TicNote Pods smart earbuds. His team realized that competing with big companies is not a wise move, so they have turned their attention to smaller product areas with less competition. He believes that the future smart hardware market needs to avoid direct competition with giants and find unique market entry points.