OPENAI
This is the AI device Apple didn’t build
OpenAI’s first hardware product with Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, is starting to come together.
Reports suggest the device may look like a smart speaker without a screen.
OpenAI has already signed a deal with Luxshare, a major Apple supplier, and is also in talks with Goertek for parts like speaker modules.
Other ideas on the table include smart glasses, a voice recorder, and a wearable pin.
The first launch is expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
TL;DR
The first device may be a display-free smart speaker.
Glasses, recorders, and pins are also being explored.
Apple suppliers and staff are shifting to OpenAI projects.
Pocket tech dreams
Sam Altman has described the vision as a “family of devices”, small, screen-free, and context-aware.
OpenAI is leaning on Apple’s supply chain in China, with companies like Luxshare and Goertek already assembling iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches.
Apple has also lost several hardware staff to OpenAI, including Tang Tan, now OpenAI’s hardware chief, who has told recruits they’ll find “less bureaucracy and more collaboration” at the company.
Not the AI girlies building a HomePod clone.