The Rabbit R1, initially touted as a new contender in the AI device market, may not be the "iPhone killer" it was claimed to be. Thanks to the efforts of developer Will Hobick from Flutterflow, the core AI functionalities of the Rabbit R1 are now operable on an iPhone, demonstrating that the device's capabilities are not exclusive to its original hardware.
On Monday, Hobick announced via a series of tweets that he would release a "cloneable template" of the Rabbit R1 app later in the week. By Tuesday, he showcased a version of the app running on an iPhone. This app replicates the Rabbit R1's ability to handle verbal and visual queries with similar animations and responses as seen on the standalone device.
In one demonstration, Hobick's app accurately identified and described a picture of AirPods placed on a table. He claims that the Progressive Web App (PWA), which was developed in just a few hours, utilizes several features of the host device such as time display, battery indicator, haptic feedback, and camera integration. The app is compatible with both iOS and Android platforms.
While the app closely mimics the Rabbit R1's functionalities, it remains unclear whether it operates on the Rabbit R1's proprietary operating system or if it leverages existing libraries for voice recognition and integrates with AI services like ChatGPT for processing queries.
The creation of such an app not only showcases the potential for existing smartphones to handle advanced AI tasks but also poses questions about the necessity of dedicated AI devices. With rumors of Apple potentially launching an AI App Store, it's conceivable that similar apps could soon be available to a broader audience, further blurring the lines between specialized AI devices and conventional smartphones.
