May 22, 2025 | Media M | By Max Letek
….the lines between sci-fi and reality just got blurrier…
OpenAI has officially acquired io, the secretive hardware startup founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, in a stunning $6.5 billion deal. And now, the first real details about their mysterious device are starting to emerge.
We may be witnessing the beginning of a new paradigm in human-AI interaction.
What We Know So Far
According to The Wall Street Journal, this isn’t another wearable, nor is it a pair of smart glasses. Instead, Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are reportedly working on a pocket-sized, screen-free AI companion—a “third device” that could eventually rival the smartphone in importance.
Key Details Leaked:
- Form factor: Not a wearable, not glasses—something new and pocketable.
- Interface: No screen. Always on. Context-aware. Voice and environmental cues are likely the primary interface.
- Role: Intended to complement your laptop and phone, not replace them—yet.
- Launch timeline: Aimed for late 2026 with an ambitious 100 million units targeted.
- Vision: Described as an entirely new category of hardware designed to weave AI into the fabric of everyday life.
Altman himself called it :
The $1 Trillion Question
If successful, this isn’t just a new device—it’s the beginning of a family of AI-native products. Altman and Ive believe it could eventually add over $1 trillion in value to OpenAI, while sparking a new design movement that rethinks everything from how we interact with machines to how those machines integrate into our lives.
This is not about building gadgets—it’s about reshaping the human-computer relationship.
Why It Matters
Let’s be honest—consumer AI hardware has underwhelmed so far. From smart speakers to experimental pins, most devices feel like tech demos searching for a killer use case. But this partnership is different.
Jony Ive brings design credibility.
Sam Altman brings AI firepower.
Together, they bring intentionality, the kind rarely seen in big tech rollouts.
They’re not just asking how AI should work—they’re asking how it should feel.
Not Another Smart Gadget
Both Altman and Ive have distanced themselves from comparisons to current offerings like Humane’s AI Pin or Meta’s smart glasses. Their product is not an extension of what exists—it’s the beginning of something entirely new.
If the iPhone redefined the mobile era, this new device could define the AI-native era—one that doesn’t revolve around apps, screens, or notifications, but around presence, awareness, and intuition.
The Takeaway
OpenAI’s $6.5B acquisition of io isn’t just about hardware—it’s a signal. A signal that the next major platform shift won’t be built on faster chips or shinier apps, but on intelligent, beautifully designed experiences that blend into the background and elevate daily life.
The screenless future is coming. And it might just fit in your pocket.
Stay tuned. The AI companion era has officially begun.
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Welcome, io. The world is ready.
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