The much-hyped AI era was supposed to bring about a revolution in gadgets, with multimodal, natural language-powered devices that would change the way we interact with technology. However, the reality has been a far cry from the promise. Despite the hype, the tech still doesn't work, and the gadget revolution we were promised has utterly failed to materialize.

The problem lies in the tech industry's overreliance on AI, with companies betting big on virtual assistants that are nowhere close to ready. Apple, Amazon, and Google, among others, have been touting their AI-powered devices as game-changers, but the features are often iterative and underwhelming. The iPhone 16, for instance, was marketed heavily on its Apple Intelligence capabilities, but the feature is still lacking, with Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy admitting that it will take longer than expected to deliver.

Meanwhile, startups have been flooding the market with ChatGPT-powered gadgets that are more novelty than substance. The likes of Friend, Omi, and Limitless have all promised to revolutionize the way we interact with technology, but their devices have been met with lukewarm reception. Even Jony Ive's collaboration with OpenAI has failed to impress, with investors pouring huge sums of money into Humane only to see it collapse less than a year after its launch.

The issue is that companies have been prioritizing AI as the solution to all their problems, rather than focusing on meaningful innovation. Instead of making devices that are more useful, durable, and easy to use, they're waiting for the perfect AI to come along and solve all their problems. This has led to a generation of gadgets that are bland, boring, and unexciting. As David Pierce notes, "What if, instead of hand-wavey promises about AI, we got smartphones that lasted twice as long or didn't break so easily? What if startups focused less on AI and more on the millions of people looking for devices that are less addictive and more attuned to a specific purpose?"

The delay of Apple's smart home hub, which was supposed to leverage Apple Intelligence to control your house and accomplish tasks on your behalf, is a prime example of the industry's overreliance on AI. Bloomberg reported that the device was supposed to launch this month but is being pushed back due to the underlying tech not working. This is a symptom of a larger problem, where companies are putting all their eggs in the AI basket, rather than focusing on making their existing devices easier to use.

In conclusion, the AI-powered gadget revolution that was promised has failed to materialize, and it's time for the tech industry to take a step back and reassess its priorities. Instead of waiting for the perfect AI, companies should focus on making devices that are meaningful, useful, and easy to use. Only then can we expect to see real innovation in the gadget space.