OpenAI's AI gadget will arrive in 2027 and not under the io brand

Just in January of this year, OpenAI stated that it was “on track” with its first AI gadget to bring it to market by the end of 2026. This plan has now apparently changed: court documents reveal that it will only be released in 2027. Due to a trademark lawsuit, the gadget will also not be released as a product of the io Products brand, which OpenAI had acquired from Jony Ive for US$6.5 billion.

Dispute with iyO

This information comes from court documents regarding a trademark lawsuit that the audio startup iyO filed against OpenAI last year, as reported by, among others, the magazine Wired. iyO had sued OpenAI after it acquired the startup io from former Apple designer Jony Ive. Peter Welinder, Vice President and General Manager of OpenAI, stated in the lawsuit that OpenAI was reviewing its product naming strategy and “decided not to use the name 'io' in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing, or sale of artificial intelligence hardware products.”

The OpenAI executive also said that OpenAI has a better overview of the timeline for the market launch of its AI hardware. According to this, the first AI gadget will not be delivered to customers before the end of February 2027.

These are not the first details about OpenAI's AI hardware product to have leaked from the court documents of the trademark lawsuit: According to the court records, Tang Tan, Chief Hardware Officer of io and former Apple design lead, stated at the time that the first device will be neither an “in-ear device” nor a “wearable.”

Allegedly Audio Product

Meanwhile, there is little concrete information from OpenAI about the product. Most recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and design legend Jony Ive at an event in November 2025 said that they wanted to have a device “that knows everything you've ever thought, read, and said.” Furthermore, it was stated: The design is right when you want to “lick or bite” the device. This is already the case with the prototypes, it was said. The aim is for hardware that is “almost naive in its simplicity and the feeling it conveys,” said Ive. Altman added that the device will be “quieter” than a smartphone, and users will be surprised by its simplicity.

It is also emerging that OpenAI is focusing on “audio first” for its first AI product, and according to leaked details, it is apparently a “special audio product” that is allegedly worn behind the ears. However, we will likely only find out what's true about these rumors next year.

(afl)