Discussion
Sony held a mock funeral for its AIBO robot dog, and more than 100 colleagues came...
Sony closed down its AIBO robot dog, and the line got a funeral. Wikipedia's Aibo article says Howard Stringer closed down AIBO and other robotic projects, and that Doi, the project's creator, then staged a mock funeral attended by more than 100 colleagues from Sony.
The point of it was bigger than the dog.
AFP wrote that once repairs stopped, owners were told they were on their own. When the maker walks away, a pet that runs on firmware and spare parts has nowhere to go.
If you own a gadget you love, ask now how long its maker will repair it. Save the manual and the software files while they are still online, and find an independent repair shop before the day the support ends. You will not get a notice that says the clock started.
A maker ends a product on its own schedule, and the owner pays for it. Plan for the end of support when you buy.
Wikipedia says Doi told the crowd that the AIBO was a symbol of a risk-taking spirit at Sony that was now dead. A company's weird bets are the first thing to go when money gets tight, and the people who built them know it.
The real owners got a funeral too. AFP reported on a Buddhist ceremony in Japan for broken AIBOs and described it as a funeral like any other in Japan. NPR quoted the head priest, Bungen Oi, saying "All things have a bit of soul."
Owners had a reason to hold one.