OpenAI is designing its first consumer electronics product as a screen-free smart speaker that you can take from room to room. The company aims to equip the device with a camera and environmental sensors to talk to the user naturally, learn their habits over time, and give the feeling of a living presence with small movements. OpenAI product To introduce in the second half of 2026if on sale starting in 2027 is planning. This approach places the device up against the Apple HomePod and Amazon Echo family rather than a direct rival to the iPhone.
According to information provided by Bloomberg, the company sees the device as “a new home computer for the age of artificial intelligence.” The speaker will control smart home products, manage music and video content, answer questions, respond to messages, and access ChatGPT’s different capabilities. Thanks to its portable and rechargeable structure, the user will be able to carry the device in different parts of the house. Previously released information indicates OpenAI’s plans for the product. $200 to $300 It shows that it is evaluating a price range between and that it may start shipping in February 2027 at the earliest.
The most distinctive aspect of the device will not only be a powerful voice assistant. OpenAI wants the mechanical parts to move the speaker slightly so that the device behaves like a character reacting to its environment rather than a stationary box waiting for commands. The camera and other sensors will also help it understand the people, objects, and user context in the room. In addition, the company aims to establish a more proactive experience that anticipates the user’s needs by using personal information such as emails.
OpenAI plans to leverage its recently introduced GPT-Live models on the conversation side. With the ability to listen and speak simultaneously, GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini allow the user to interrupt, establish more natural turn changes, and support tasks such as live translation. This infrastructure can enable the speaker not only to answer questions but also to conduct an uninterrupted and mutual conversation. To be honest, the criterion of OpenAI’s success will be determined by the character of the device and the bond it establishes with the user, rather than its processor power.
Jony Ive partnership at center stage of hardware plan
OpenAI is tapping the io Products team, founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for hardware targets. $6.5 billion incorporated by agreement. In the merger announced in May 2025, OpenAI announced that the io team joined the company, while Ive’s design company LoveFrom continued to work independently. Ive and LoveFrom are responsible for the design and creative direction of OpenAI’s products. This collaboration also brought many former Apple employees, who worked on products such as iPhone, iPod and Apple Watch, to OpenAI’s hardware work.
Apple, on the other hand, claims that these employee transitions are not limited to talent transfer only. The company alleged unauthorized use of trade secrets in a lawsuit filed against OpenAI, io Products and two former employees on July 10, 2026. While Apple argues that former executives Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu moved confidential supplier information and technical documents to OpenAI, OpenAI denies these accusations. The lawsuit states that OpenAI has been More than 400 former Apple employees It also states that it is hiring, but Apple admits that this number alone does not constitute evidence of violation.
Apple is asking the court for an order preventing OpenAI from exploiting trade secrets. Such a decision may affect the production schedule and some technical components of the product. However, sources speaking to Bloomberg said that the OpenAI device has a sufficiently different structure from existing Apple products and that the company Promotion in 2026, sales in 2027 He says he is protecting his plan. OpenAI has not yet made an official statement about the device details in the report.
Camera and personal data will increase both success and risk
OpenAI’s speaker wants to take on the role of a home assistant that constantly interprets its surroundings, unlike HomePod or Echo models. While cameras, microphones and motion sensors make it easier for the device to recognize the user, they will create a need for clearer and more detailed controls regarding privacy. Users will want to physically turn off the camera, see what personal resources it is accessing, and know where recordings are being processed. OpenAI’s answers to these questions will be as important as the product’s personality and sound quality.
Apple is also trying to turn Siri into an assistant that understands personal context and use it more powerfully in future home products. So when OpenAI enters the market, it will compete not only with existing smart speakers, but also with the advanced assistants that smartphones carry in your pocket. $200 to $300 The possible price brings the product closer to the high-end smart speaker category. Long story short, the movement of the device may make a difference at first glance, but users will make the purchasing decision based on its usefulness in daily tasks, sound quality, data security and a truly natural-feeling conversation experience.
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