OpenAI’s First Real-World Gadget Isn’t a Headset. It’s a Speaker That Watches You.
OpenAI’s First Real-World Gadget Isn’t a Headset. It’s a Speaker That Watches You. I keep thinking about how strange it is that the most anticipated AI hardware product in years might look like… a speaker. Not a hologram projector. Not a sleek visor. Not some sci-fi wrist implant. A speaker. With a camera. Sitting in your living room. And yet the more I read about what OpenAI and Jony Ive are building, the less simple it feels — and the more it starts to look like a quiet land grab inside your home. This story matters right now because the AI race isn’t just about models anymore. It’s about presence. It’s about who gets to sit in the room with you. And this time, OpenAI wants to be physically there. The Device Nobody Saw Coming (Even Though We Probably Should Have) Last May, OpenAI acquired Ive’s startup, Io Products, in a $6.5B deal. At the time, it felt dramatic but vague. We knew hardware was coming. We didn’t know what. Now, according to new reporting from The In...
