Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer of Apple, confirmed at the Emerson Collective Demo Day that the first AI hardware they are collaborating on has completed its prototype. The appearance is described as "simple, beautiful, and fun," with a target launch time of "less than two years."
Product Positioning
- Screenless design: The device is "pocket-sized," completely eliminating traditional displays, and uses voice and context-aware interaction
- Quiet experience: Altman described the feel as "like sitting in a small wooden cabin by a mountain lake," rather than "the neon lights and noise of Times Square"; Ive aims for "almost innocent simplicity," allowing users to "use it without much thought"
- Contextual intelligence: Altman said the hardware will "know everything you've read, said, and thought," and determine when to push information and when to stay silent, achieving "long-term companionship without disturbance"
Development Progress
- Prototype iteration: At least two rounds of design have been completed, and the latest version has passed Ive's "want to lick it" aesthetic test
- Launch schedule: Ive confirmed "less than 2 years" for the launch; Altman added "the design direction is set, and the team is currently in the prototype refinement stage"
- Manufacturing partnership: In May, OpenAI acquired Ive's startup io for about $6.5 billion; the hardware team has expanded to over 100 people, with Tang Tan, a former iPhone core designer, leading engineering
Market Significance
If launched as planned, it will be OpenAI's first consumer hardware product, and the most anticipated "screenless AI terminal" after the iPhone, seen as a direct challenge to the Apple ecosystem; industry experts expect it to deeply integrate ChatGPT, cloud OS, and multimodal sensors, reshaping the form of human-computer interaction.
