OpenAI's Jony Ive-Designed Home Device: A Donut-Shaped ChatGPT Hub Priced Up to $400

OpenAI's forthcoming home hardware device is starting to come into clearer focus, with Bloomberg reporting that it will sport a donut-shaped design crafted from high-quality metal and carry a retail price somewhere between $300 and $400. The gadget is intended to serve as what OpenAI has internally described as the physical manifestation of ChatGPT, giving the AI assistant a permanent presence in users' homes. Unlike a phone or laptop, the form factor is built to be portable within the home — users could place it on a bedside table in the morning and move it to a kitchen counter by evening. Bloomberg's sources also mention that the device will include distinct moving parts, though specifics on what those components actually do remain unclear.

The project is being developed in collaboration with LoveFrom, the design studio co-founded by Jony Ive, the legendary former Apple chief design officer responsible for the look of the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch. That partnership signals OpenAI is treating this as a serious consumer hardware push rather than a prototype or research exercise. A targeted launch window of sometime in 2027 gives the company roughly two years to refine the product before it hits shelves.

The price tag deserves some scrutiny when held up against what already exists in the smart speaker market. Amazon's Echo lineup spans roughly $40 to $240, while Google's Nest Audio sits well below $150. Asking consumers to spend $300 to $400 on a voice-activated home device — even one backed by a powerful AI model — is a significant ask, particularly in a category that has historically struggled to generate sustained profit margins.

OpenAI's expansion into physical hardware also comes with legal turbulence. Apple has filed suit against the company, alleging that OpenAI misappropriated trade secrets, a claim OpenAI disputes. The timing is notable given that Jony Ive's close professional history with Apple makes the collaboration between him and OpenAI a particularly visible sore point for Cupertino. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing and the case is ongoing.

The broader context here is a company that has rapidly grown from a research lab into one of the most valuable AI businesses in the world, now setting its sights on owning a piece of the physical consumer tech space. If the device succeeds, it could deepen ChatGPT's integration into daily life in ways that a phone app simply cannot replicate. If it stumbles — whether on price, utility, or legal complications — it could become a cautionary tale about the difficulty of entering hardware markets that even well-resourced companies like Amazon and Google have found punishing.