OpenAI's first device will be a speaker with a camera

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For over a year, it remained unclear what Jony Ive and OpenAI were developing together. Now the device is taking shape: a screenless speaker with a camera and sensors that will move from room to room and function as a kind of AI computer in the home. The description appears four days after Apple filed a lawsuit against precisely this hardware project.

Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on July 10 in the Federal District Court in Northern California, alleging the theft of trade secrets and naming its hardware subsidiary, io Products, as a co-defendant. The core of the 41-page complaint: OpenAI based its device plans on knowledge stolen from Apple. The company denies the allegations. Until then, almost nothing was known about the product itself - apart from what OpenAI was forced to disclose in another lawsuit. A Bloomberg report now fills this gap for the first time.

A speaker designed to function as a computer

According to Bloomberg, OpenAI's entry into the device market begins with a mobile, screenless smart speaker. Internally, the company explicitly describes it not as a speaker, but as a new type of home computer for the AI age, built to make busy people more productive.

A camera and other sensors are designed to capture the user's surroundings and context. This is complemented by AI models that surpass the capabilities of today's smart speakers. A rechargeable battery allows for easy portability throughout the home: to the laundry room while doing housework, to the kitchen as a cooking aid, or to the living room or bedroom in the evening for music. Users who prefer to leave the device plugged into a wall socket can operate it there.

The form factor aligns with what OpenAI had already admitted in court. Tang Tan, the company's Chief Hardware Officer and co-founder of io, stated in a sworn affidavit in June 2025 that the prototype mentioned by Sam Altman was neither an in-ear device nor a wearable. A device that sits on a table and can be worn fills precisely this gap.

The timeline argues against a quick market launch

There is currently a significant time gap between describing a product and its sale at OpenAI. In a court filing from February 2026, the company stated that the first hardware device would not be shipped to customers before the end of February 2027. Packaging and marketing materials did not yet exist at that time. At the same time, OpenAI decided not to use the name "io" for AI hardware – a consequence of the trademark dispute with the earphone startup iyO, from whose proceedings most of the reliable details about the project originated.

The company's own forecasts were recently more optimistic than reality: Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane had projected the first half of 2026 in Davos in January. That period has now passed. OpenAI acquired the hardware manufacturer io Products in May 2025 for $6.5 billion.

Five products – and a list that seems familiar to Apple

According to the report, the speaker is just one of around five products currently in development. OpenAI is working on a long-term mobile AI device intended to replace the smartphone – a project whose launch was recently brought forward by a year. In addition, they are developing wearables, including a pendant-style smart device, and are interested in household robotics.

This list reads in places like Apple's own product planning. Apple's AI lag has pushed back Home Hub, smart glasses, and tabletop robots – the same three categories OpenAI is working on. The two companies are also converging in terms of personnel: Over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, and Tang Tan spent 24 years at Apple before joining, most recently as Vice President of Product Design for iPhone and Apple Watch.

What separates the device in Europe from Apple's counterpart

Apple's answer to this device category is the long-awaited smart home display, internally codenamed J490. Originally scheduled for spring 2025, it has been postponed several times, most recently to September 2026. The reason was always the same: the device's user interface is based on Siri AI, and Siri AI wasn't ready in time.

This is precisely where the difference lies for the German-speaking market. Siri AI launches this fall with iOS 27, but not on iPhones and iPads in the EU. Apple cites the interoperability requirements of the Digital Markets Act and has yet to announce a release date. All 27 EU member states are affected, including Germany and Austria. Therefore, the feature will remain unavailable on your iPhone for the time being. Switzerland is neither in the EU nor the EEA and is not affected by the restriction – Siri AI works there on iPhones just like in the rest of the world. The feature is available on Macs and Vision Pros in the EU as well, initially in English.

OpenAI's speaker doesn't ask this question: The device brings its own models and doesn't rely on any system assistant from a third-party platform.

The living room becomes the next scene

Both news items this week are related. Apple accuses OpenAI of using third-party knowledge in the development of its hardware; OpenAI counters that its first product does not infringe any trade secrets. And while the legal battle unfolds, the core issue becomes clear: the same electrical outlet in the same living room.

Apple has the installation base, the speakers, and the name – but a device that has been waiting for over a year for an assistant that still doesn't run on the most widely used Apple product in Europe. OpenAI has the models and no legacy issues, but to date, not a single unit of hardware has been sold, and its own stated timeframe is no earlier than 2027. Whoever delivers first will determine what this device category ultimately looks like. (Image: Shutterstock / Bangla press)