The fact that it is already implemented as just an app makes the point all the more valid.
My only guess is that the physical device adds some additional mystique that makes it easier to sell the idea of an "AI in a box" to investors.
I don't see anything but this. Similar to startups hiring just to appear big to investors.
It’s like saying the Light Phone could be an app. They’re trying to do something entirely different, and an app that does what the rabbit does would be very uninteresting.
With the R1, the point is to have an LLM powered AI assistant. Absolutely nothing about the product is enhanced by doing it as a separate device rather than an application. The design is eye catching, but comes at the price of several hundred dollars and requires you to carry two devices around. The second Apple or Google implements this functionality on their phones, this thing is dead. And I guarantee you they are working on this as we speak, and it will be available within 1-2 years natively on iPhones/Android.