OpenAI's First Consumer Hardware Is a Portable Speaker With No Screen, a Camera, and Parts That Move
No display. Mechanical elements. A camera. Apple has filed a lawsuit and wants a court to block the launch.
Bloomberg confirmed Monday that OpenAI hardware will start with a portable smart speaker - no display, rechargeable battery, and a camera built into the enclosure. Sam Altman and Jony Ive have been developing the device together for more than a year, but this is the first detailed public description of what it actually is. OpenAI targets 2027 for launch, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Speaking is the whole interface. OpenAI's full-duplex voice model GPT-Live powers the audio - it processes speech and responds at the same time, without the stop-start delay older voice assistants impose. Smart home control, questions, media playback, and messages cover the core capabilities. Over time the device learns habits and personalizes its responses. Bloomberg's sources described the goal as a "humanlike AI companion that lives in the home."
Moving Parts Were a Deliberate Design Choice
No display anywhere. Mechanical elements inside the enclosure move independently while the device is active, creating the impression that something living occupies the room rather than a plastic cylinder waiting to be addressed. A camera tracks and understands the environment around the speaker, not just the audio commands coming from it. Portability comes from a rechargeable battery - the device moves between rooms rather than staying anchored to a power socket.
Ive, who left Apple in 2019, formally joined OpenAI's hardware effort last year. Altman has called the project "jaw-droppingly good." OpenAI's previous hardware move was Codex Micro - a 13-key macro pad built for developers with Work Louder, which launched last week. A portable OpenAI smart speaker aimed at ordinary consumers is a different category entirely, and a much harder one to get right.
Apple Filed a Lawsuit and Is Asking a Court to Block the Launch
Apple sued OpenAI in May. Alleged theft centers on a proprietary metal finishing technique Apple developed for its own products. A preliminary injunction request followed - a court order that would prohibit OpenAI from shipping any hardware incorporating the disputed technique before the underlying lawsuit concludes. People familiar with the device told Bloomberg it is "unlikely" to violate Apple's trade secrets, but an injunction can delay a launch regardless of the final outcome.
Apple has a competing home hub in development - a smart device with a 7-inch display, a camera, and Siri targeting the same living room. Neither launch date is confirmed. OpenAI hardware delayed to 2027 gives Apple's injunction attempt more time to run its course, and both companies may find themselves arguing over a court order before either product ships.