Everyone expected a smartphone. Instead, OpenAI is building a speaker.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company’s first consumer hardware device will be a portable, screenless smart speaker — internally pitched as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.” And no, it’s not just another Alexa clone.
What Makes This Different
The device does the usual smart speaker things — controls appliances, plays music, answers questions, handles messages. But the ambition goes much further. OpenAI sees this as a new kind of computer built for the AI era, one designed to make busy people more productive.
The defining feature? Personality. The speaker incorporates mechanical elements that move on their own, creating a sense that it’s alive rather than a box waiting for commands. It learns your habits over time, draws context from your emails, and proactively surfaces information before you ask. It’s meant to anticipate needs, not just respond to them.
A built-in camera and sensors help it understand its surroundings and context — something conventional smart speakers simply can’t match. And because it runs on a rechargeable battery, you can carry it from room to room instead of leaving it tethered to one outlet.
The Voice Behind It
Conversations will run on GPT-Live, an upgraded voice mode OpenAI released this month. It listens and speaks simultaneously, adapts mid-conversation, and feels more natural — closer to how a real conversation flows.
The Apple Factor
Here’s where it gets complicated.
OpenAI spent $6.5 billion last year to acquire io Products, the hardware startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive’s studio LoveFrom is now leading the device’s design, alongside Evans Hankey, Apple’s former industrial design chief. All told, more than 400 former Apple employees have reportedly joined OpenAI’s hardware team.
Apple isn’t happy. Last week, the company sued OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft, claiming the AI firm used confidential information to accelerate its hardware ambitions. Apple is seeking an injunction that could delay or block the speaker’s release.
OpenAI is pushing back, arguing the device “veers significantly” from anything Apple sells today and that it’s unlikely to violate trade secrets.
Pricing and Timeline
The speaker is expected to cost between $200 and $300, with Foxconn reportedly handling manufacturing. OpenAI aims to unveil it later this year, with a public release targeted for 2027 — though the Apple lawsuit could shift that timeline.
What This Means
This isn’t just another smart speaker. It’s OpenAI’s bet on a new kind of computing — voice-first, screenless, proactive, and personal. And it’s only the beginning: the company reportedly has roughly five hardware products in the pipeline.
Whether it ships in 2027 or gets tied up in court, one thing is clear: OpenAI is serious about hardware. And the industry is already feeling it — Sonos shares tumbled more than 10% on the news.
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