KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- OpenAI and Jony Ive are building a brand-new AI hardware device under the name ‘io’.
- The device is not a phone, wearable, or screen-first, it’s a completely new form factor.
- It’s designed to be a third core device alongside your iPhone and MacBook.
- Sam Altman says it could be the “coolest piece of tech the world has ever seen.”
Update: Ming-Chi Kuo in a post on X has stated that in his opinion “One of the intended use cases is wearing the device around the neck.” Kuo goes on to say, that “it will have cameras and microphones for environmental detection, with no display functionality.”
Jony Ive and Sam Altman are teasing a mysterious new AI device, one that isn’t a phone, glasses, watch, or any known wearable. It’s called “io”, and if their claims hold up, it could mark a whole new chapter in how we interact with artificial intelligence.
“The Coolest Piece of Tech the World Will Ever See”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, now officially merging with Jony Ive’s design venture “io,” called the prototype he received “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.” Bold words, but not surprising from a duo that’s betting $6.5 billion on redefining personal computing.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Altman told OpenAI employees this project could add $1 trillion in value to the company. He urged them to see it as “the biggest thing we’ve ever done.”
What It’s Not: No Screens, No Wearables
In a dramatic marketing video released this week, Ive and Altman didn’t show the device. But they were very clear about what it isn’t:
- Not a phone
- Not smart glasses
- Not a smartwatch or ring
- Not a reimagined legacy form factor at all
Altman emphasized: “Surely there’s something beyond these legacy products.” Jony Ive added that the goal is to “completely reimagine what it means to use a computer.”
They also hinted that the io device is designed to get people away from screens, suggesting it either doesn’t have one, or it’s not the main interface.
“A Third Core Device on Your Desk”
Perhaps the biggest clue came from Altman’s internal presentation, as reported by WSJ.
I would reach down. I would get on my laptop, I’d open it up, I’d launch a web browser, I’d start typing, and I’d have to explain that thing. Then I’d hit enter, and I’d wait, and I’d get a response. And that is at the limit of what the current tool of a laptop can do. But I think this technology deserves something much better.
The device:
- Is not worn but placed on a desk or in a pocket
- Is fully aware of your surroundings and life
- Aims to be your third essential device after your iPhone and MacBook Pro
This hints at a new kind of ambient AI assistant, more powerful than a phone but less intrusive than a headset or glasses.
What Could It Be?
The best guess? A screenless or minimalist AI companion, something like:
- A desk-friendly smart AI puck with powerful sensors and voice interaction
- A context-aware assistant that listens, learns, and acts in real time
- Possibly an AI-first ambient computing device with no keyboard, no apps, and no legacy baggage
The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk, and will be a third core device a person would put on a desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.
If this is truly about reinventing the computer, it may combine spatial awareness, multimodal AI, and a radical new form factor.
One Thing’s Clear: It’s Not Just Hype
Jony Ive and Sam Altman are not here to iterate on smartwatches. They’re aiming to reinvent personal technology. And with OpenAI’s resources and Ive’s legendary design chops, io might just pull it off.
But for now? The device remains a mystery, and perhaps the most hyped unseen product in AI history.
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