The mysterious AI hardware device designed by Jony Ive for OpenAI has been delayed, according to a new court filing. It had originally been scheduled to launch later this year but now won’t ship any earlier than February 2027.
The same court paperwork also reveals that the company is no longer planning to use the name io for the upcoming device …
OpenAI’s AI hardware device
The company first teased the device in a video back in May of last year. They promised it would be a completely new concept in AI hardware but didn’t give many clues to the form factor or functionality. One possibility put forward was that it might take the form of a pen.
The device was originally going to be named the io, but the company quickly ran into trouble with a trademark dispute from a hearing aid startup called iYo. A spokesperson for Jony Ive said at the time the complaint was “utterly baseless” and that the company would “fight it vigorously.”
Delayed into 2027
A report late last year said that the project had been delayed as the company struggled to solve three fundamental problems, though a prototype was said to exist as of November. The company has hired more Apple alumni to help it progress toward a launch.
The company subsequently said it was on track for a launch in the second half of this year. However, a new report says this is no longer the case. Wired reports the company saying in a court document that the launch has been delayed into early next year.
In the filing, the company said its first hardware device won’t ship to customers before the end of February 2027.
Won’t use io branding
The same filing reveals that the company has abandoned plans to use the io branding. The company lost an appeal at the end of last year but was previously expected to continue the legal battle. However, OpenAI said that this has now changed.
Peter Welinder, OpenAI’s vice president and general manager, said in the filing that OpenAI had reviewed its product-naming strategy and “decided not to use the name ‘io’ (or ‘IYO,’ or any capitalization of either).”
I said last month that I remain an AI hardware skeptic, even if it does seem brave to bet against Ive and Altman. What are your views? Please share in the comments.
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