OpenAI’s first AI device with Jony Ive won’t be a wearable
Thanks to a related trademark lawsuit, we know what OpenAI and Jony Ive's first AI device won't be.
In court filings submitted this month, leaders from io - the consumer hardware team OpenAI recently acquired from Jony Ive's design studio for $6.5 billion - testified that the first device they plan to release won't be an "in-ear device" or a "wearable." They also say the AI device won't ship until "at least" 2026.
"The prototype Sam Altman referenced in the video is at least a year away from being offered for sale," Tang Tan, io's chief hardware officer and a former Apple design leader, said in a June 16th declaration. "Its design is not yet finalized, but it is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device."
Over the weekend, OpenAI was forced to remove public references to the io brand (which stands for "input/output") due to a temporary restraining order that was granted on behalf of an audio device startup called Iyo. To support its case that OpenAI willfully infringed on its trademark, Iyo provides emails showing that leaders from io and OpenAI, including CEO Sam Altman, knew about its existence and even asked to demo the product - a yet-to-be-released, in-ear headphone bil …