OpenAI Prepares Portable AI Speaker, Launch Pushed to 2027

OpenAI's shrouded-in-mystery device, which the company is developing together with former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, is reportedly a portable speaker with no screen, equipped with a camera and moving parts designed to make the device feel alive. That's according to a new Bloomberg report, cited by Gizmodo and MacRumors.

Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, describes the device as a battery-powered speaker that can be carried between rooms. It has no screen, but can control smart home devices, answer questions, and play media. Its most distinctive feature is said to be mechanical elements that let the device move, meant to create the impression that it is, in some sense, alive.

Camera and Face Recognition

Newer reports cited by MacRumors add an important detail missing from earlier leaks: the device is said to have a built-in camera used to recognize the person using it and their surroundings, in a way similar to the Face ID mechanism known from iPhones. The speaker is meant to gather information about its surroundings and the user's experiences via cameras and microphones, then use that data for increasingly personalized suggestions.

The concept, which Sam Altman and Jony Ive have been describing for months, envisions a device acting as a proactive AI companion that learns about its owner over time and independently suggests actions to help them achieve their goals. Both creators have used phrases like 'stunningly good' and 'incredible contextual awareness' about the user's life.

Schedule Slips

Earlier announcements pointed to a sales launch still in the second half of 2026. The latest reports, based partly on court documents, push the launch back to the end of February 2027. The delay may also be affected by an ongoing legal dispute: Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets related to building AI hardware, which has turned the entire design process into a subject of litigation.

The team responsible for the device's mechanical construction reportedly includes engineer Tang Tan, who according to reports joined OpenAI after years working on Apple hardware. Since May 2025, when OpenAI acquired his company io for $6.4 billion, Jony Ive has led design for the company's entire device lineup.

We'll know the design is good when you want to lick it or bite it - Jony Ive, designer, OpenAI

Price and Positioning

According to the cited estimates, the device is expected to cost between $200 and $300, placing it in a segment close to premium smart speakers but well below smartphone prices. Sam Altman has previously described the project as 'the coolest piece of technology the world has ever seen,' and together with Ive he has stressed that the device is meant to be 'calm' and act as a participant in daily life that doesn't annoy, but brings joy.

For the Polish market, the launch of such a device would mark another stage in AI assistants entering homes, alongside OpenAI's already announced plans for deeper integration of ChatGPT into family life. Competition in the AI hardware segment is growing: other companies are also announcing their own devices, and Amazon and Google have spent years developing speakers with built-in voice assistants, a space OpenAI now wants to join with a product built on large language models instead of classic voice commands.

The key question remains how the company will address privacy concerns, given the constant presence of a camera and microphone in private rooms. OpenAI has not officially confirmed any of the leaked details, and all information comes from anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg and from documents disclosed in the ongoing legal dispute with Apple.