Technically, OpenAI has already stepped into the consumer hardware space with its Codex Micro keyboard last month. But this was not the long-rumoured device that the company has been working on with former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Said device will supposedly be a screenless smart speaker, and ahead of any official announcements, more details have emerged, courtesy of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
According to Gurman’s report, the smart speaker will feature a ring-shaped build that’s about “the size of a hockey puck”. This small form factor, coupled with a battery-powered design, will allow users to easily carry the device from one room to another.
As previously revealed, the product is intended to serve as a “humanlike AI companion” that lives in the home. To help it stand out from other smart speakers on the market, the startup will equip the device with movable parts, which serve to make it feel more lifelike. These parts will apparently move on their own in response to user interactions.
Other features include speaker grills and microphones, as well as a camera system. These will all help the speaker understand its environment and feed information to the AI, allowing the device to respond to commands and converse with the user. Overall, the product should function similarly to the ChatGPT voice mode, albeit with more advanced models so it can learn about the user over time and offer more personalised conversations.
Beyond that, the company is reportedly planning to include lights for indicating when the device is listening. The smart speaker will also sport a premium look, incorporating high-quality metal. Of course, this means that it will likely be pretty pricey. As per Gurman’s report, the company has discussed pricing of around US$300 (~RM1,228) to US$400 (~RM1,637) per unit. That would make it more expensive than Apple’s HomePod mini, which currently retails for RM599.
That said, Apple has yet to come up with a battery-operated AI-centric home device, so it may not be a fair comparison. OpenAI seems to also think that its upcoming product is something entirely new, though the bitten fruit brand certainly disagrees with that assessment. At the moment, the two companies are in the midst of a legal battle, with Apple accusing the AI firm of stealing its trade secrets.
Regardless, OpenAI seems to be moving ahead with its hardware plans. The smart speaker could see a launch sometime in 2027, with more always-on AI gadgets to follow after.
(Source: Bloomberg)
