OpenAI's hardware roadmap has sharpened considerably in recent months, with its first device now identified, a smartphone said to be arriving as soon as next year, and a wider lineup taking shape behind them. AI Smart Speaker OpenAI's first product is a portable, screenless smart speaker developed with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, designed to act as a personal companion in the home rather than a conventional voice assistant. Design The device is said to have a rechargeable battery so it can be carried between rooms, a camera for understanding its surroundings, and mechanical elements that move on their own to give a sense that it is alive. Ive and CEO Sam Altman had previously said they did not want to build a device with a screen, with Altman describing a prototype to employees as "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen." Features Powered by ChatGPT and using GPT-Live for conversation, the speaker will reportedly control smart home accessories, answer questions, play media, and respond to messages, becoming more personalized and proactive over time. It is also said to have a personality of its own. OpenAI reportedly does not regard the HomePod or HomePod mini as comparable products. Price and Release Date The speaker is expected in early 2027 at a price between $200 and $300, having slipped beyond an initial release target of this year . AI Smartphone Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first described the device in April as an "AI agent phone" built around a continuous, context-aware interface rather than individual apps, arguing that the smartphone is the only device capturing a user's full real-time state, including location, activity, communication, and context. He believes controlling both the operating system and the hardware is the only way OpenAI can deliver a comprehensive agent service. Specifications The phone is said to use a customized version of MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 processor built on TSMC's N2P node, also used on Apple's upcoming "A20" chips, with MediaTek now looking likely to be the sole chip supplier after Kuo initially named Qualcomm as a possible partner. Luxshare Precision Industry is believed to be the exclusive manufacturing partner, and Sunny Optical has secured component orders for two OpenAI devices, likely for camera modules. Its headline known specification is an image signal processor with an enhanced HDR pipeline intended to improve real-world sensing through the camera, alongside two AI processors for handling vision and language tasks simultaneously. Timeline Mass production was originally targeted for 2028, but Kuo revised that to the first half of 2027, reflecting OpenAI's planned IPO and intensifying competition in the category. He projects combined 2027 and 2028 shipments could reach around 30 million units if development stays on track. Other Devices Smart glasses, a smart lamp, and potentially earbuds are also reportedly in development, though those sit further out on the roadmap and some could be cancelled. The lineup stems from OpenAI's $6.5 billion acquisition of Ive's startup io Products, alongside an aggressive recruitment campaign that has brought more than 400 former Apple employees to the company, among them designers Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon, and Vision Products Group leader Paul Meade . Apple responded with retention bonuses of up to $400,000 in restricted stock units for its iPhone Product Design team. Apple's Lawsuit That hiring is now the subject of litigation. Apple sued OpenAI on July 10 over the alleged theft of trade secrets, and Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman argues the case is already slowing the hardware effort by deterring Apple engineers from interviewing and making suppliers wary. OpenAI says it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets." What Does It Mean for Apple? Apple is separately rumored to be developing smart glasses, AirPods with cameras, an AI pendant, and a smart home hub with enhanced Siri capabilities, putting the two companies on a collision course across several categories. Tag: OpenAI This article, " OpenAI's First Devices: Speaker, Smartphone, and More " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
The Phone and FaceTime apps didn't get as many new features as some of Apple's other apps, but there are a handful of capabilities that add utility and convenience. Phone App The Phone app has one major update, and that's Call Context. When you call a company, the Phone app can surface relevant information from the Mail app. If you call an airline, it might show your confirmation code for an upcoming flight, or your reservation code if you're calling a hotel. It doesn't listen to what you're saying, but instead looks at the number you're calling and links it to details in the Mail app. Call Context is an Apple Intelligence feature that runs entirely on-device, and it requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. It also works when you make a phone call from your iPad or Mac. FaceTime ‌FaceTime‌ has a couple of new features, but the biggest is Dual Capture. On the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air , you can use the front and back cameras at the same time while on a ‌FaceTime‌ call. The person you're calling is able to see your face and what's shown through the back camera. You can turn on Dual Capture on a supported iPhone by tapping on the camera flip button. If you only want to show the back camera feed, you can tap to turn off the front camera view. While streaming video with Dual Capture is limited to the ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Pro , ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, ‌iPhone Air‌, and newer, anyone running iOS 27 can see a dual video stream on a ‌FaceTime‌ call because there are no hardware requirements for the receiving device. There are a few other features worth knowing about: Connection Quality - When you have a bad connection, ‌FaceTime‌ calls will now have better quality than before. Wi-Fi/Cellular - In ‌iOS 27‌, iPhones are better at transitioning from a Wi-Fi to a cellular connection and vice versa, so you'll lose connection less often when moving between networks. Live Captions - Live Captions are now available in Traditional Chinese. Communication Safety - Communication Safety blocks gore and violence in ‌FaceTime‌ and Messages instead of just nudity. iOS 27 Launch ‌iOS 27‌ is being beta tested right now, and can be downloaded by developers and public beta testers. It will launch this fall alongside new iPhone models. Read More For more on the new features in ‌iOS 27‌, we have a dedicated iOS 27 roundup . Related Roundups: iOS 27 , iPadOS 27 Tag: FaceTime This article, " iOS 27: All the New Phone and FaceTime Features " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Granola , an app that can transcribe Zoom meetings and then create AI-generated notes with key points, is now available on Apple Watch models running watchOS 11 and later. The app was already available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and now it has expanded to the Apple Watch for added convenience. You can start transcribing a meeting right from your wrist with one tap. This article, " 'Granola' Launches on Apple Watch " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
