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Hans India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Sam Altman and Jony Ive Unite to Build Revolutionary AI Hardware — A Modern-Day iPhone in the Making?
Jony Ive, the celebrated creative mind behind the design oflegendary Apple products like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod, left Apple in 2019 tostart his own design firm, LoveFrom. Since then, he has focused on selectdesign projects ranging from the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable to the coronationemblem for King Charles III. But in 2023, he took a decisive step back into thetech world by co-founding io, a startup focused solely on AI hardwareinnovation. Now, OpenAI — the creator of the viral ChatGPT chatbot and aleading force in artificial intelligence — has taken full ownership of initially acquired a 23% stake in the company last year. With this newacquisition, valued at $6.5 billion, it has bought the remaining share, makingit one of the most significant hardware investments by any AI company to LoveFrom and Ive will remain independent, they will now lead the designfor all OpenAI hardware projects going forward. A Device Cloaked in Mystery, Fueled by Excitement Though the project has been publicly acknowledged by bothAltman and Ive for nearly two years, the exact nature of their joint creationremains a tightly held secret. In a blog post confirming the acquisition,OpenAI mentioned it is working on a 'family of devices', but offered no furtherdetails. What is known, however, is that the device isn't expected tobe a traditional smartphone. Rather, it's likely to be a companion device,built with AI at its core. Ive has previously expressed a distaste for screens,suggesting the product may avoid a traditional display altogether — a designdirection reminiscent of failed concepts like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1,which also experimented with screenless or minimal-screen hardware. Still, expectations remain high. Industry insiders believethat, with Ive's visionary design and Altman's AI expertise, the project couldfinally strike the right balance between form, function, and intelligence. Theacquisition is expected to accelerate product development, bringing ideas fromthe drawing board to market sooner — potentially by late 2026. A Strategic Shift: From Software Powerhouse to HardwareDisruptor For OpenAI, this marks a critical evolution. Until now, ithas operated as a pure software entity, relying on hardware partners —sometimes even competitors — to distribute its services. But if OpenAI wants tocompete in the trillion-dollar league and build truly integrated AIexperiences, owning the hardware pipeline is essential. As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told colleagues, theacquisition is 'the chance to do the biggest thing we've ever done as a companyhere.' The strategy echoes the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, whofamously championed the idea that 'companies that want to make great softwareshould make their own hardware.' This holistic approach enables tighter control over the userexperience and can help eliminate outside interference — a philosophy that hashelped Apple maintain its dominance for decades. Yet, as advanced as Apple'secosystem is, it has struggled to lead the AI revolution. That's where OpenAIsees its opportunity. With ChatGPT reportedly serving between 400 to 800 millionweekly active users as of May 2025, OpenAI has already claimed a stronghold inthe software space. Now, it aims to cement that dominance in hardware — notjust by being another tech brand, but by potentially redefining how humansinteract with machines in a post-smartphone world. What's Next? The tech community is abuzz with speculation. Will thisunnamed device be wearable? Will it feature advanced voice interfaces? Will ithave no screen at all? While the details remain elusive, what's clear is thatOpenAI is preparing to make a bold leap into consumer technology, with Jony Iveat the helm of its design. As the world waits, comparisons to the original iPhone arealready surfacing — and with good reason. That device transformed not justApple but the entire technology landscape. Altman and Ive may not be buildingan 'iPhone 2.0,' but if their collaboration succeeds, they might deliver thenext big leap in personal technology — something even Apple hasn't dared to doyet.
India Today
22-05-2025
- India Today
An AI iPhone? Sam Altman and Jony Ive have joined hands, will they build something that Apple so far hasn't
It is happening. Sam [Altman] and Jony [Ive] are building the AI iPhone Apple didn't. For those unaware, Jony is the OG designer of some of the most iconic Apple products to have ever graced the face of the Earth, from the now ubiquitous iPhone to iPod and iPad. He left Apple in 2019 to build his own design company called LoveFrom and has since been involved in some high-profile - but mostly non-tech related - projects such as the limited-edition Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. His company also designed the coronation emblem for King Charles III. Sam heads OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed AI behemoth behind the viral chatbot co-founded io, another startup specifically to make AI hardware, in 2023 even as LoveFrom continues to do its own thing including - but not limited to - overseeing design at the new entity. On May 22, 2025, OpenAI announced that it is buying io for USD $6.5 billion (roughly Rs 55,692 crore). The ChatGPT-maker reportedly acquired a 23 percent stake in the company last year, and it is paying the remainder amount (about USD $5 billion) to fully acquire it now. It is learnt that Jony and LoveFrom will remain independent but take over the full design control for all what's cooking? The duo has been working on an unnamed and unspecified AI device for two years. The project isn't a secret, both Jony and Sam, have publicly acknowledged it. But the specifics of this new device are not known. Like, for instance, we don't know what it is or what it looks like or what it can do. OpenAI confirmed it is working on a family of devices in a blog post announcing the acquisition, but fell short of revealing product All the evidence suggests that the maiden device is not a phone in the conventional sense, but a companion piece that you – presumably – carry along with it. Jony has hinted in the past that he is not particularly fond of screens, so there is a possibility the device might not have it – what remains to be seen is, to what extent. Current solutions range from having no screens at all, like the Humane AI Pin, to giving some screen real estate like the Rabbit R1 – both failed miserably, though not just on account of display capabilities. The possibilities range from anything to everything for io and OpenAI, but it is certain that the acquisition should expedite things from the drawing board to the shipping excitement is palpable. The conversations have started to pick up steam. Some of it – like is often the case – has trickled and made its way online. Based on multiple reports, it seems OpenAI is very pumped up about the merger, with Sam reportedly calling it 'the chance to do the biggest thing we've ever done as a company here.' He is not wrong if he has said this. OpenAI is still a software company. It doesn't do hardware at all. That is a problem. Because it doesn't do its own hardware, it must rely on other rival companies to distribute its software. While that is okay, too, it is not okay in the long run and especially not if you're eying to become a USD $1 trillion late great Steve Jobs used to say, companies that want to make good software should make their own hardware. There is obviously the monetary aspect to that, but even more importantly, it cuts off any outside noise or distraction and makes you focus on the bigger goal, which is to leave a long-lasting impression on the customer and, invariably, the world. That is what Apple did, and it is still guided by some of the same principles. But despite its deep roots and engineering might, it has been unable to upend this new phenomenon called AI so can do it because it has already conquered the software front (reports indicate that ChatGPT has around 400-800 million weekly active users as of May 2025) and, every day, it keeps covering more ground. With former Apple design guru Jony Ive's backing and support, things are about to get very interesting. What they come up with might not be an iPhone 2.0 but if done right, it could be the modern-day iPhone moment that fans and pundits have been waiting for. The first device in the 'family' is expected to be rolled out sometime by late 2026. We'll see.
