Jony Ive’s portable, moving-parts ChatGPT companion aims for 2027 at a premium price.
OpenAI is preparing its first true consumer gadget, and it looks nothing like the glass rectangles that dominate our desks. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the device is a battery-powered, doughnut-shaped smart speaker roughly the size of a hockey puck. Designed with Jony Ive’s LoveFrom studio, it is meant to feel alive.
The speaker has no display. Users will carry it from kitchen to bedroom with one hand, set it on a counter, or hold it during conversation. High-quality metal gives it a premium finish. Moving mechanical parts shift on their own when the device responds, paired with lights that signal it is listening. A camera and sensors feed context about the room and the people in it into more advanced voice models based on ChatGPT’s current mode.
Premium Price, Portable Form
Internal discussions put the price between $300 and $400. That sits well above most Amazon Echo or Google Nest speakers and closer to higher-end audio gear. OpenAI wants the device used throughout the day rather than left plugged into one corner. The battery and compact shape support that goal.
The hardware arrives through OpenAI’s 2025 acquisition of Ive’s io startup. LoveFrom handles design while OpenAI builds the underlying systems. Sources say the company is developing roughly five products and intends to start with this speaker, targeting a 2027 launch.
Why the Details Matter
Smart speakers have long promised ambient help but often delivered limited responses and fixed locations. OpenAI is betting that deeper conversational models, visual context, and a design that feels responsive will create a stronger daily companion. The moving parts are intended to make interactions feel less like commanding a machine and more like talking with something present.
The project unfolds against Apple’s July 2026 lawsuit alleging trade-secret theft involving former employees now working on OpenAI hardware. OpenAI maintains the speaker looks and behaves nothing like anything Apple has shipped or planned. Jony Ive himself is not named as a defendant.
Whether a $300–$400 AI puck can break into a market long dominated by cheaper, plugged-in speakers remains an open question. The combination of Ive’s design language, on-device personality cues, and OpenAI’s conversational models will test whether people will pay a premium for an always-available, context-aware companion they can actually pick up and move.