Jony Ive's Latest Project Could Be an AI 'Phone' Without a Screen

[MacRumors]

OpenAI is considering acquiring the AI hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to a new report from The Information. The deal could be worth at least $500 million.

The venture, known as "io Products," is developing AI-powered devices that could include a "phone" without a screen and other AI-enabled household products, according to people with direct knowledge of the talks. That's despite people close to the project apparently insisting it is "not a phone."

Ive and Altman began their collaboration more than a year ago, focusing on creating voice-enabled AI assistants. The project is still in the early design stages, with no finalized product concepts yet.

The venture is being funded by Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective. The startup currently employs a small team that includes former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, who previously worked with Ive on the iPhone.

Instead of a full acquisition, OpenAI and the hardware startup are also discussing partnership options. If acquired, OpenAI would gain not only the technology but also the engineering team that has been developing the device, according to the report's sources.

The deal structure reportedly involves io Products employing engineers to build the device while OpenAI provides AI capabilities and Ive's LoveFrom studio contributes design expertise.

An AI hardware venture would put OpenAI in more direct competition with Apple, despite their existing partnership announced last June where Apple's Siri assistant uses ChatGPT for certain queries.

The AI voice assistant market is becoming increasingly competitive, with OpenAI, Meta, Google, Anthropic, and xAI all developing voice capabilities for their text chatbots. OpenAI launched a voice mode for ChatGPT last year, allowing customers to engage in spoken conversations with the chatbot.

Ive left Apple in 2019, where he served as chief design officer before founding his design firm LoveFrom. He continued to work with Apple as a consultant through LoveFrom until 2022, when the partnership officially concluded.

Article Link: Jony Ive's Latest Project Could Be an AI 'Phone' Without a Screen

 

[klasma]

That picture shows why he’d be interested in a screenless phone.

 

[Radeon85]

Didn't work well for the iPod shuffle. This would be flop.

 

[wbeasley]

Another Rabbit... LOL

 

[wanha]

We're visual creatures but sure keep investing billions in the ideology of a screenless device

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Doh! I mean of course, this is why Jony Ive makes the big bucks.

Some would actually pay for a phone without the calling feature, like message me pls okay thanks bye.

*powered by AI
*some functionality will be updated on future release lol.

 

[Stella]

LOL. AI isn't reliable enough for phone without a screen.

I expect it wants form over function, as usual.

 

[dannyyankou]

I respect all the work Jony has done, but I think it was necessary for him to leave. I don’t think Macs could’ve gotten as good as they are now if he stayed, trying to make them as thin as possible.

Also, battery life on the iPhone has made big gains ever since his departure.

Edit: Apparently, he helped design the M1 iMac. But that’s the Mac that seems to get the most ridicule these days, lol.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Just a clean slab of glass.
No buttons, no screen. No battery, no electronics.
A slab of glass to look at.

 

[Rradcircless]

But nobody is asking for this

 

[jooish]

Terrible idea unless it's a ring that tracks fitness, but they're not fitting phone tech into a ring... yet.

 

[Rradcircless]

Just a clean slab of glass.
No buttons, no screen. No battery, no electronics.
A slab of glass to look at.

As you behold this expensive, cutting-edge glass slab in your hands, which no doubt cost thousands of dollars to acquire, you are left with nothing to gaze upon other than your own reflection.

 

[TracerAnalog]

No screen means I need to carry another device to watch Youtube and cat movies. That other device will surely be able to run this newfangled AI application. Probably. So what's the point of this screen-less device??

Just get Siri working. Thanks.

 

[macrumors3131]

Calling MKBHD...

 

[jayducharme]

Has Ive created any products since founding LoveFrom? I hear about a lot of consulting work, but nothing concrete ever seems to emerge from that except a few one-off charity items.

 

[yurc]

Probably will end up just like Humane pin. Since Jony I've in charge, pretty sure he will make it thinner than ever,

 

[aries81]

Didn't work well for the iPod shuffle. This would be flop.

that buttonless 3rd generation one certainly was a big miss on Apple's part.

 

[SanderEvers]

First they removed the headphone jack, then they removed the headphones and the charger. Now they are going to remove the screen.

It's not going to take long before they sell you an $1000 empty box.

 

[TracerAnalog]

As you behold this expensive, cutting-edge glass slab in your hands, which no doubt cost thousands of dollars to acquire, you are left with nothing to gaze upon other than your own reflection.

You know what Einstein wrote: 'Stare into the abyss long enough and the abyss will look into you.' Or was it Steve Jobs? Let me look it up in my AI app...

 

[Andy_2341]

As you behold this expensive, cutting-edge glass slab in your hands, which no doubt cost thousands of dollars to acquire, you are left with nothing to gaze upon other than your own reflection.

That’s when you realize you were the actual cutting-edge product all along.

 

[TracerAnalog]

First they removed the headphone jack, then they removed the headphones and the charger. Now they are going to remove the screen.

It's not going to take long before they sell you an $1000 empty box.

Who needs a box?

 

[cicalinarrot]

As you behold this expensive, cutting-edge glass slab in your hands, which no doubt cost thousands of dollars to acquire, you are left with nothing to gaze upon other than your own reflection.

Mind = Blown

 

[Andy_2341]

Didn't work well for the iPod shuffle. This would be flop.

The shuffle with no buttons didn’t work. The shuffle with buttons but no screen was pretty good.

 

[SW3029]

Hard pass. I want visual feedback for my devices.

I don't want to listen to an email being read out when I can read it 10x faster.

 

[coffeemilktea]

"Screenless device with AI made by former Apple employees" didn't work all that well for the Humane Pin, but good luck to him 😬