[HN Gopher] Will.i.am Debuts Innovative Face Technology Concept,...
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Will.i.am Debuts Innovative Face Technology Concept, Xupermask
Author : laurex
Score : 16 points
Date : 2021-04-14 17:43 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (xupermask.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (xupermask.com)
| ckrusk wrote:
| a couple steps away from a full darth vader helmet which is kinda
| cool...
| tengbretson wrote:
| A lot of negativity in the comments here has got me questioning.
|
| Where is the love?
| birdyrooster wrote:
| I think it left with Kim Hill
| lolthishuman wrote:
| No love for worse than mediocrity and exacerbating the
| pointless consumerist cycle without any innovation on top of
| perpetuated social stigma.
| lolthishuman wrote:
| This is terrible and makes me feel sad for humanity.
| Stormtroopers, at least theirs an empire for every time period.
| moftz wrote:
| What's the plan for in a year or two when no one is wearing a
| mask anymore? Seems like an overly complicated solution to a
| simple problem.
| neom wrote:
| There are parts of the world, South Korea for example, where
| people commonly wear masks year-round and have for ages, either
| because of fine dust pollution or just generally if you're not
| feeling great and go out, it's polite to others. Might see this
| being adopted in places like that. In additional, I personally
| am happy if we normalize the wearing of masks, I have awful
| seasonal allergies and masking up has been amazing for me.
| peanut_worm wrote:
| This sounds like something that will get cloned and sold for 39
| dollars at a gift store
| JAlexoid wrote:
| Thanks... I hate it.
| istorical wrote:
| seems comparable to LG Puricare ($289),
| https://www.shopmask.com/respirator-lg-puricare-mask.html
|
| and Philips Fresh Air Mask ($189),
| https://www.shopmask.com/respirator-philips-mask.html
| https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/dutch-design-week-2020/phi...
|
| and Purely ($79) https://www.shopmask.com/respirator-purely.html
|
| unfortunately despite being even slightly more expensive than LG
| Puricare, it seems to have worse filters?
|
| not sure why you would want to tie your music listening to your
| air purification?
|
| people who traditionally might like this type of consumer grade
| active filter mask are those worried about the effects of
| pollution in cities on their health, it's interesting to see this
| company xupermask attempt to appeal instead to streetwear or
| fashion and music crowds.
|
| I predict a very small chance of actually breaking through and
| making this type of mask more widely popular outside health-
| focused or urban foot+cycle commuters and a large chance of
| complete failure due to the product's price and lack of consumer
| interest.
|
| people immediately dismissing this are just ignorant to the real
| interest in air filtration by those who are deeply concerned with
| the health effects of breathing urban pollution.
| gnabgib wrote:
| That LG one is really ugly (maybe it looks better in life? I'm
| dubious).. but the Woobi plus, the Woobi wins (gas mask-chic).
|
| There are some interesting alternatives out there.. although
| they all feel like they're using a razor blade/ink cartridge
| model for pricing (perhaps made worse by the site no having all
| of them or listing the price particularly prominently)
| Gualdrapo wrote:
| Personally I won't even consider to use such thing while
| cycling. Looks rigid (and maybe with some weight penalty
| compared to other lightweight non-tech alternatives?), in case
| of a serious crash it can be troublesome. Plus the idea of
| cycling while listening to music is a no-no.
| ajcp wrote:
| "concept" = "vaporware". Will.i.am himself is famous[1] for these
| at this point.
|
| 1. https://www.protocol.com/will-i-am-xupermask-honeywell
| hctaw wrote:
| There are a lot of celebrity investors like that. They usually
| have zero day-to-day interaction with the business aside from a
| launch blog/press release like this one.
| ajcp wrote:
| No doubt, no doubt. At what point does Will.i.am realize this
| is doing him more harm than good here.
| hctaw wrote:
| How would it harm him? I'm sure he's being paid in equity
| with liquidation preference. His biggest investment is his
| name on something like this.
|
| This happens all the time with low tier VCs (although a few
| big ones have celebrities that come out of the woodwork
| during raises) and companies that have trouble raising
| money from angel investors more in the know. Go pick an
| athlete or musician and they probably have some startup
| with their name attached.
| ajcp wrote:
| He's diluting his names value by attaching it to failed
| products. Eventually his name will be synonymous with
| failed products, at that point his biggest revenue
| generator is...vapor.
| BoorishBears wrote:
| Normally I'd agree but nothing about this seems out of the
| realm of a customized Alibaba product or something
|
| Just imagine every material will be 10x crappier than implies
| and I think it could be real
|
| Edit: Sure enough
| https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600093606917/Face-Mask-eadpho...
| ajcp wrote:
| It's like Rule 34 but for merch on Alibaba.
| ortusdux wrote:
| I love the caveats on the spec page:
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT a medical device
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT a respirator
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT N95
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT a surgical mask and can't be used in clinical
| setting
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT a personal protective equipment (PPE) and
| shouldn't be used to meet a professional healthcare facility
| obligations
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT FDA-approved and DOES NOT replace other CDC
| recommended preventive measures including hand washing, social
| distancing, or refraining from touching your face
|
| XUPERMASK is NOT a Toy and not intended for children under the
| age of 16
| nailer wrote:
| The long term business is the 'innovative replaceable monthly
| filters' (1:22 in the video). $27.99 a month. After ten months
| you'll pay more for the filters than for the mask/headphones
| combo.
|
| Anyone else tired of reading about Wil.i.am's low innovation
| technology businesses? I don't know what it's like in the US but
| Wired UK have covered him far more than any of the companies he's
| involved in deserve.
| lolthishuman wrote:
| He's technopop bullshit for a while. Intel even hired him as an
| exec for lead innovation or something ridiculous. Right around
| the time they started going downhill. Go figure.
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(page generated 2021-04-14 23:02 UTC)