I think people are sleeping on this major development.
OpenAI just bought out the company started by Jony Ive (the guy who designed the iPhone) for a massive $6.5 billion. They want to create something totally different in the AI space.
Here’s what we know:
- Small enough to fit in your pocket but has no display
- Can understand what’s happening around you
- Built to reduce phone dependency
- Meant to be the “third essential gadget” next to phones and computers
What it isn’t:
- Won’t replace your smartphone
- Not AR glasses or headset technology
- Not something you wear on your body
Launch plans: They’re talking about manufacturing over 100 million devices immediately
Why this matters:
- Market potential could reach $1 trillion
- Might destroy the current phone market
- Would make today’s AI helpers look ancient
This might be as revolutionary as when Apple launched the first iPhone. Then again, it could turn out to be OpenAI’s most expensive mistake.
Having followed OpenAI’s trajectory since their early days, this move feels both ambitious and risky in equal measure. What catches my attention isn’t just the dollar amount but the timing - they’re making this massive bet while still figuring out how to monetize their existing AI models effectively. The Jony Ive connection is intriguing because his design philosophy has always been about removing complexity rather than adding features. If they’ve truly cracked the code on ambient computing without requiring visual feedback, that would represent a fundamental shift in how we interact with technology. My concern though is whether consumers are actually ready to give up the security blanket of having a screen to confirm what their device is doing. Trust becomes everything when you can’t see the output, and OpenAI’s recent safety controversies might work against them here. The hundred million unit production target seems overly optimistic for a first-generation product in an entirely new category.
The pocket-sized aspect without a screen makes me wonder if this is essentially a sophisticated voice assistant with advanced sensors. I worked in hardware development for years and the technical challenges here are enormous - cramming that much processing power into something small enough for daily carry while maintaining decent battery life is no joke. The $6.5 billion price tag suggests they have something genuinely groundbreaking, but I remain skeptical about mass adoption. People said tablets would never catch on, then said the same about smartwatches. However, asking consumers to trust a completely screenless device for important tasks feels like a much bigger behavioral shift. The manufacturing scale they are planning suggests serious confidence, but history shows us that even well-funded tech giants can misjudge market readiness.
honestly this sounds like those fancy voice assistants that everyone hyped up but nobody really uses daily. without a screen how do you even know if its working properly or just sitting there doing nothing? feels like throwing money at a solution for a problem that doesnt really exist.
i get what ur saying. but maybe it’s like a smartbot for ur environment? still hard to picture no screen tho. might be interesting if it really cuts down on phone time, but yeah, could also be a fail. we’ll see!