OpenAI is developing a battery-powered smart speaker designed by Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief, set to launch in 2027 at a price exceeding $300, according to Bloomberg reporting.
The device is doughnut-shaped and roughly the size of a hockey puck, with moving parts that activate on their own to respond when the speaker is processing or interacting with a user. It includes a camera system, sensors, and lighting. The hardware carries no display.
OpenAI announced the partnership with Ive in May 2024, positioning the designer to lead a new company focused on AI devices. Ive spent two decades at Apple before departing in 2019 to found his design firm LoveFrom. The smart speaker represents OpenAI's first hardware entry, a category where Amazon's Echo line has dominated since 2014 with tens of millions of units sold annually.
The device is intended to be portable and used throughout the home as an AI companion. Its design philosophy prioritizes physical expressiveness over traditional interface patterns. The moving parts and lights serve as the primary feedback mechanism, a departure from the screen-first approach that defines current smart speakers and digital assistants.
Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, has said the company views hardware as central to its future, though the firm has historically focused on software. The Ive collaboration places hardware design alongside underlying AI capability at the company's product level.
A $300-plus price point places the device above Amazon's premium Echo models, which range from $30 to $200, and closer to high-end consumer audio equipment. OpenAI has not disclosed production volume targets or distribution strategy. The 2027 timeline gives the company roughly 18 months to finalize manufacturing and supply chain logistics.
