OpenAI Delays First Consumer Device to 2027

OpenAI’s highly anticipated push into consumer hardware has been delayed until 2027, according to 9to5Mac. The shift represents a meaningful reset for a project that has drawn intense industry attention since OpenAI teamed up with former Apple design chief Jony Ive to build a new category of artificial intelligence-native hardware.

OpenAI formally acquired Ive’s startup io Products in 2025 in a multibillion-dollar deal aimed at accelerating its push beyond software into physical devices. The collaboration signaled ambitions to build hardware specifically designed around generative AI interactions rather than adapting existing smartphone or laptop paradigms. Executives have previously described the effort as an attempt to create a more natural and ambient interface for AI.

While earlier reporting suggested a possible 2026 debut, the updated timeline now points to 2027 for customer availability. The delay surfaces as OpenAI continues to refine both the hardware concept and its broader consumer AI strategy.

Speculation around the device’s form factor has intensified over the past year. In January, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI was exploring earbuds as a potential first product, citing sources who described a compact device capable of handling AI tasks through custom silicon and tight integration with OpenAI’s models. The idea fueled expectations that the company might introduce a wearable companion designed for voice-first interaction.

However, subsequent reporting complicated that narrative. The Verge reported that viral imagery circulating around the Super Bowl purporting to show OpenAI hardware was a hoax, underscoring how little concrete information has been confirmed publicly. The company dismissed the images as fake, and executives reiterated that no official product visuals had been released.

Meanwhile, Wired reported that OpenAI has dropped the “io” branding previously associated with the project following trademark challenges. The decision to abandon the name adds another layer of transition as the company prepares its long-term hardware strategy.

The company has framed its hardware initiative as an effort to rethink how users interact with AI, potentially reducing reliance on traditional screens and keyboards. Yet designing an entirely new category of AI-first hardware presents technical, supply chain, and user-experience challenges that differ markedly from shipping a software update.

Delaying until 2027 gives OpenAI additional runway to mature its models, optimize on-device processing, and refine design concepts under Ive’s direction. It also positions the company to enter what is becoming a crowded field of AI-enabled consumer gadgets, as competitors explore smart wearables, voice assistants and multimodal devices.

For now, OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product remains unnamed and unseen.

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