OpenAI is stepping up its consumer hardware plans. ABMedia, citing Bloomberg, reported that the company is working with a team led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive on its first screen-free AI speaker, with a launch targeted for 2027 and a projected price of $300 to $400.
The reported device is described as compact and easy to carry, roughly the size of a hockey puck and shaped like a doughnut. It is meant to be moved around the home and used in places such as the kitchen, bedside, or living room. The body is said to follow Jony Ive’s high-end industrial design style, using premium metal construction and built-in moving mechanical parts.
A compact design with motion and light feedback
According to the report, the device will not behave like a static smart speaker. When the AI is listening or replying, the hardware is expected to respond with movement and lighting changes, giving the product a more animated presence.
ABMedia said the product is being positioned as a next-generation personal AI computer rather than a standard voice-command speaker. Its interaction model is compared with ChatGPT voice mode, but the report says it will use a more advanced, humanlike interface that can learn a user’s habits and preferences over time and tailor conversations accordingly.
Multimodal sensors and contextual reasoning
On the technical side, the report says the device will combine a high-sensitivity microphone array, optical cameras, and multimodal sensors. Those components would capture the surrounding environment in real time and send that context to backend models, allowing the assistant to reason using live visual input and support continuous personalized learning.
Hardware ambitions and an Apple dispute
Bloomberg’s reported account says OpenAI’s longer-term goal is to build its own hardware ecosystem and potentially release a device that could one day replace the smartphone. In that context, this smart speaker is described as an early test of the company’s ability to integrate software and hardware. The report also says OpenAI chose a screen-free speaker format in part to avoid the privacy concerns tied to always-worn devices such as smart glasses.
The project has also become entangled in a patent and trade-secret dispute involving Apple. As cited in the report, Apple accused OpenAI of inducing one of its long-time suppliers to leak metal-polishing technology. OpenAI pushed back, calling the accusation “groundless and overly broad,” and said the device is “an entirely new product category, unlike anything Apple currently offers.”
Even with that litigation adding uncertainty, the report says OpenAI is still moving ahead internally at full speed. Based on the information cited so far, the device is expected to arrive in 2027 with a price range of $300 to $400.