For those who do not know him, Jony Ive is an industrial designer who was key in Apple’s success from the late 90s to 2019. The British was in charge of the design of as emblematic products such as the IMAC, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Macbook Air and its footprint in the consumer market is indisputable. Therefore, when last May it was announced that OpenAI had acquired the hardware startup IO Productsco -founded by IVE, in an agreement of 6.5 billion dollars, expectations about what could arise from this association were shot. Now we have more information.
As published ‘He resembles an intelligent speaker without screen’. Sources cited by the medium ensure that the company has already closed a contract with Luxshare And that you have also started contacts with GERTEK -Two manufacturers that assemble Apple products- to ensure components such as speaker modules for their future range of artificial intelligence devices.
The list of possible products is not limited to that speaker. OpenAi also values developing glasses, a digital voice recorder and a pin -shaped devicethe sources of The Information point out. The first releases would be planned to late 2026 or beginning of 2027.
Last May, Sam AltmanCEO of Openai, said that collaboration with Ive would light A ‘family of devices’. The first one, he explained, would have a pocket size, would be aware of the context and would not include screen. That description fits the current rumors about the project, although it is the first time that there is talk of a widest range of devices.
At the time, Altman had pointed out that the first OpenAi device would not be some glassesbut these new information suggests that They could arrive later. The case of AI pin is striking, since IVE never showed interest in body devices and even criticized the Humane Ai Pinlaunched in 2024 but that ended up being a failure. The possibility of designing had also raised An intraauricular devicebut this does not appear on the filtered road map.
According to The Information, OpenAI is already resorting to Apple’s suppliers network in China to shape these products. Luxshare is one of the main iPhone and Airpods assemblies, while Gortek is responsible for manufacturing Airpods, Homepods and Apple Watch.
Apple, in fact, would have canceled a meeting with production and supply chain equipment in China last month, worried about keeping its executives near the headquarters in the United States at a time when they were key to Avoid talent leaks towards OpenAIaccording to the aforementioned medium.
Since the collaboration with the Startup of IVE was announced, More and more Apple employees linked to consumer hardware have made the leap to OpenAI. Among them stand out Tang socurrent company’s hardware director and former Product Design Chief in Apple, who would be convincing former colleagues ensuring that In Openai you will find ‘less bureaucracy and more collaboration’according to The Information a person with knowledge of his collection work.