OpenAI's first Jony Ive device is a $200-$300 smart speaker with a camera, launching in 2027

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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OpenAI is developing its first hardware lineup, starting with a smart speaker with a camera expected in early 2027. Designed by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, the $200-$300 device will feature facial recognition and object recognition capabilities. The company has over 200 employees working on AI-powered hardware devices including smart glasses and a smart lamp, as it enters a consumer hardware market already crowded with competitors like Apple, Meta, and Google.

OpenAI Enters Consumer Hardware Market With Smart Speaker

OpenAI is preparing to launch its first hardware product, marking a significant shift for the AI company known primarily for ChatGPT. According to a report from The Information

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, the company's debut device will be an AI-powered smart speaker equipped with a camera, priced between $200 and $300. The smart speaker with a camera won't reach customers before February 2027 at the earliest

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, giving the company over a year to refine what CEO Sam Altman has called the "coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen"

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.

Source: Tom's Guide

Source: Tom's Guide

The device represents OpenAI's first major push into physical products, backed by a team of more than 200 employees dedicated to developing a lineup of AI-powered hardware devices

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. This ambitious effort follows the company's $6.5 billion acquisition of Io Products, a startup co-founded by Altman and legendary designer Jony Ive, who spent decades shaping Apple's iconic product aesthetic before his 2019 departure

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.

Source: Engadget

Source: Engadget

Advanced Features Beyond Traditional Smart Speakers

The OpenAI hardware product will distinguish itself through sophisticated sensing capabilities. The camera will enable object recognition of items on nearby tables and monitor conversations happening in the vicinity

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. Perhaps most notably, the device will include a facial recognition system similar to Apple's Face ID, allowing users to authenticate purchases simply by looking at the speaker

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.

These features suggest a ChatGPT gadget designed to be contextually aware of its environment, potentially offering proactive suggestions based on user behavior and calendar information

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. However, this always-listening and always-watching approach may face skepticism from consumers concerned about privacy concerns

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, particularly in an era of heightened data sensitivity.

Jony Ive Device Design Faces Internal Challenges

The collaboration between Jony Ive's design firm LoveFrom and OpenAI's internal devices team has encountered friction. LoveFrom handles the visual design of potential products, while OpenAI's hardware division manages engineering, software, and consumer research

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. Some OpenAI staffers have complained that LoveFrom has been slow to revise designs and shares little about its creative process, creating tensions between the two groups

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The devices division is led by Peter Welinder and includes several Apple veterans, including Tang Tan on hardware, Evans Hankey on industrial design, and Scott Cannon managing supply chain operations

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. Despite this experienced team, the project has already faced delays due to technical issues, privacy concerns, and logistical challenges surrounding the computing power necessary for mass production of AI devices

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.

Smart Glasses and Smart Lamp in Development Pipeline

Beyond the smart speaker, OpenAI is "possibly" working on smart glasses and a smart lamp

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. The smart glasses wouldn't reach mass production until 2028 or later

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, entering a space currently dominated by Meta's Ray-Ban collaboration

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. While OpenAI has created prototypes of devices like the smart lamp, it remains unclear whether these will actually be released, as the company's device plans are still in early stages

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Competing in a Crowded Consumer Hardware Market

OpenAI faces formidable competition from established players. Apple is reportedly developing its own smart glasses, an AI-powered pendant, and AirPods with cameras

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. Google continues advancing its smart glasses efforts and Nest ecosystem, while Meta has already shipped AI-enabled smart glasses to consumers

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. Apple may even be working on a smart lamp similar to OpenAI's concept .

For a company with no hardware track record, breaking into this market presents genuine challenges. Consumers have become selective about smart home adoption, with surveys showing that wearable and connected device purchases rise only when products deliver clear daily value

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. The price point of $200-$300 positions the device as a premium offering comparable to HomePod

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, requiring OpenAI to demonstrate substantial advantages over existing alternatives to justify the investment.

Source: 9to5Mac

Source: 9to5Mac

The launch timeline stretching into 2027 and beyond gives competitors ample opportunity to advance their own offerings, while OpenAI must prove it can manufacture, distribute, and support physical products at scale—capabilities entirely different from its software expertise.

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