OpenAI's Jony Ive-designed AI hardware delayed to 2027 as company abandons 'io' branding

OpenAI Abandons 'io' Branding for Its AI Hardware

OpenAI will not use the name "io" for its forthcoming line of AI hardware devices, according to a Monday court filing. The motion is part of a trademark infringement lawsuit filed last year by audio device startup iyO, which sued OpenAI after it acquired famed Apple designer Jony Ive's startup io. Peter Welinder, OpenAI's vice president and general manager, said in the filing that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and "decided not to use the name 'io' (or 'IYO,' or any capitalization of either) in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing, or sale of any artificial intelligence-enabled hardware products." Welinder also said that OpenAI now has a better understanding of the timeline for getting its devices to market. In the filing, the company said its first hardware device won't ship to customers before the end of February 2027. Previously, OpenAI has said that it is planning to unveil its AI device in the second half of 2026. The company's first prototype is reportedly a screenless device that can sit on a user's desk, and accompany a phone and laptop. Welinder also said that OpenAI has yet to create packaging or marketing materials for its first hardware device, according to the filing. OpenAI did not immediately respond to WIRED's request for comment. The news comes as wild rumors continue to spread about OpenAI's hardware efforts. A now debunked Reddit thread went viral over the weekend, claiming that OpenAI had pulled a Super Bowl ad unveiling its forthcoming device. Someone posted the alleged ad, which featured the actor Alexander Skarsgård wearing a pair of silver headphones and tapping a reflective puck. The video was shared widely on social media, including by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian. OpenAI spokesperson Lindsay McCallum confirmed to WIRED that the ChatGPT-maker had nothing to do with the ad in question. OpenAI announced back in May 2025 that it would acquire Jony Ive's secretive consumer hardware subsidiary for $6.5 billion, marking the company's largest acquisition ever. At the time, io was marketed as a new company that would merge with OpenAI to create a family of AI devices. Since then, the company has been embroiled in a messy trademark infringement lawsuit that's likely revealed more than OpenAI would have liked about its devices. iyO claims that OpenAI and io executives met with iyO leaders and tested the company's AI audio technology before the acquisition was announced. OpenAI leaders previously revealed in filings related to this lawsuit that the prototype CEO Sam Altman mentioned in io's launch video was "not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device."

Sam Altman and Jony Ive's AI Gadget Just Hit Another Eyebrow-Raising Roadblock

Looks like Sam Altman and Jony Ive will have to wait until next year to kill AirPods, or the iPhone, or revolutionize the pen, or whatever it is they're actually doing with their AI-centric hardware venture. According to a report from Wired, court filings indicate that Sam Altman and Jony Ive have hit yet another snag in their nascent journey into AI gadgets with a newly formed company, io. The first snag is that, well, they may not really be able to call the company "io" at all. Per Wired: "Peter Welinder, OpenAI’s vice president and general manager, said in the filing that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and decided not to use the name â€~io’...in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing, or sale of any artificial intelligence-enabled hardware products.†"Decided" is an interesting choice of words here, given that the company was actually sued and issued a court order in June over a trademark claim regarding the use of that name. What OpenAI "decided" exactly is unclear, but from the outside, it looks like the decision was not theirs. It's also unclear what name they'll go with now, but maybe they could try "Pear," or "Grape," or some other one-word fruit, since last I checked, "Apple" was already taken. Wouldn't want to repeat that mistake twice. That's snag number one. Snag number two is that the company now has a new timeline for the release of its first piece of hardware, and it's a bit further out than we had anticipated. According to Wired, Sam Altman and Jony Ive's now nameless company will not start shipping its first gadget until February of 2027. The Information and Axios have reported that OpenAI could unveil its devices as soon as this year. As a result, the projected unveiling of the device by the second half of this year is now uncertain, though the company might still have something to show by then. I say "might" because it's really hard to tell just how far along any of this stuff is. Reports last year of difficulties getting devices to do basic stuff aren't instilling much confidence. According to a report from the Financial Times, Sam Altman and Jony Ive are struggling to actually muster the computing power to enable their computer(s) to, um, compute. On top of that, they're struggling to get their voice assistant (which apparently is supposed to be listening all the time) to function in a way that makes the device usable. One problem in particular has reportedly been getting the voice assistant to listen when you want it to and shut up when appropriate. Listen, I get it; figuring anything new out is going to come with its own unique set of challenges, and some of those challenges aren't going to be easily solvable overnight. The problem is that when you take a simple fact like that and place it in the context of AI gadgets, it becomes very easy to cast doubt on the whole idea. AI gadgets have had a rough go; just ask Humane and its fallen AI Pin or Rabbit and the increasingly irrelevant R1. The problem isn't even that those devices didn't take off; it's that they seemingly didn't do half of what was promised. Maybe OpenAI can solve critical flaws with AI gadgets, but maybe the problem is that there are too many issues to solve. Could be that AI just isn't smart enough yet, and neither are the voice assistants powered by it. Or maybe our general vice grip on phones as the end-all, be-all form factor is too strong for a device like Altman and Ive's to pry open. No matter which way you spin it, the company formerly known as io has a lot to solve, and the problems just seem to keep piling up.

Jony Ives' AI hardware is delayed to 2027 and won't be called io - 9to5Mac

The mysterious AI hardware device designed by Jony Ive for OpenAI has been delayed, according to a new court filing. It had originally been scheduled to launch later this year but now won't ship any earlier than February 2027. The same court paperwork also reveals that the company is no longer planning to use the name io for the upcoming device ... The company first teased the device in a video back in May of last year. They promised it would be a completely new concept in AI hardware but didn't give many clues to the form factor or functionality. One possibility put forward was that it might take the form of a pen. The device was originally going to be named the io, but the company quickly ran into trouble with a trademark dispute from a hearing aid startup called iYo. A spokesperson for Jony Ive said at the time the complaint was "utterly baseless" and that the company would "fight it vigorously." A report late last year said that the project had been delayed as the company struggled to solve three fundamental problems, though a prototype was said to exist as of November. The company has hired more Apple alumni to help it progress toward a launch. The company subsequently said it was on track for a launch in the second half of this year. However, a new report says this is no longer the case. Wired reports the company saying in a court document that the launch has been delayed into early next year. In the filing, the company said its first hardware device won't ship to customers before the end of February 2027. The same filing reveals that the company has abandoned plans to use the io branding. The company lost an appeal at the end of last year but was previously expected to continue the legal battle. However, OpenAI said that this has now changed. Peter Welinder, OpenAI's vice president and general manager, said in the filing that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and "decided not to use the name 'io' (or 'IYO,' or any capitalization of either)." I said last month that I remain an AI hardware skeptic, even if it does seem brave to bet against Ive and Altman. What are your views? Please share in the comments.

OpenAI's Jony Ive-Designed Device Delayed to 2027

OpenAI's first Jony Ive-designed hardware device won't ship to customers until next year, new court filings show (via Wired). The motion stems from a trademark infringement lawsuit filed last year by audio device startup iyO. The company sued OpenAI after the latter acquired io, a startup founded by Apple's former design chief. OpenAI's original stated goal was to ship the ChatGPT-powered device before the end of 2026. But in the latest filing, the company said its first hardware device won't ship to customers before the end of February 2027. OpenAI has not created any packaging or marketing materials for its first hardware device either, according to the documents. The filing also said that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and "decided not to use the name 'io' (or 'IYO,' or any capitalization of either) in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing, or sale of any artificial intelligence-enabled hardware products." Few details are known about the first AI consumer product that OpenAI is working on. The gadget - pitched as a "third core device" that would sit in your pocket, or on your desk alongside a MacBook Pro and iPhone - apparently won't be an in-ear device or a wearable, based on previous filings related to this lawsuit. Previous leaks have revealed that the gadget will be pocket-sized, contextually aware of your surroundings and life, and completely screen-free. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apparently told OpenAI staff it's "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen" after testing Ive's prototype at home. The development comes as now-debunked rumors circulated on Reddit over the weekend claiming that OpenAI had pulled a Super Bowl ad unveiling its upcoming device. The now-deleted post shared an alleged ad featuring actor Alexander Skarsgård in silver headphones, tapping a reflective puck. The video was widely circulated on social media, including by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian.