Bloomberg reports that OpenAI is developing a distinctive, screenless smart speaker resembling a hockey puck, aimed at creating a responsive AI device that adapts to users’ environments, potentially challenging traditional smartphones.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has added fresh detail to OpenAI’s long-rumoured first consumer device, saying the company’s initial hardware effort is likely to be a mobile, screen-free smart speaker with a distinctive shape and a price above $300.
According to Bloomberg, the device is being designed to work in several settings, whether held in the hand, placed on a bedside table or left on a kitchen counter. People familiar with the project say it will be roughly the size of a hockey puck but shaped more like a ring, with moving parts intended to make it feel less static than today’s smart speakers. The goal is a product that appears more responsive and, in OpenAI’s telling, more alive.
The speaker is expected to run on battery power and include microphones, lights, a camera and other sensors so it can listen, observe its surroundings and respond in a more natural way. Bloomberg’s reporting suggests OpenAI wants the device to act as a kind of always-available ChatGPT companion, learning over time and adapting its replies to the user. TechCrunch reported that the product is meant to connect with a user’s digital life and could take on tasks such as answering questions, controlling smart-home devices, playing media and replying to messages.
The hardware push comes as OpenAI and Apple are locked in a legal dispute over alleged trade secret theft. MacRumors reported that Apple has accused OpenAI of using confidential information in developing the product, while people close to the project told Bloomberg they believe the design is unlike anything Apple currently sells and is unlikely to infringe its trade secrets. Apple has asked for an injunction, which could affect the timing, even though OpenAI still aims to show the device this year and ship it in 2027. Beyond this first product, the company is said to be planning a broader devices unit and eventually something that could challenge the smartphone itself.
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