Jony Ive and Sam Altman made a big promise when they teased the launch of a completely new concept in AI hardware more than a year ago.
The most recent report suggests that OpenAI may technically be delivering on this promise, but could end up at least partly competing with an upcoming AirPods model. If so, I can easily see AirPods Ultra proving the more popular choice …
The promise of OpenAI’s hardware device
The duo teased their AI hardware device in a video launched back in May of last year. It was frustratingly light in details about what form the device might take, but the pair did claim it was something completely new.
As I said at the time, you can’t make those kind of promises and then launch a form factor we’ve seen before.
A smart speaker with camera & sensors
One smart hardware product we’ve definitely seen before is the smart speaker. However, the most recent report suggests that’s exactly what we should now be expecting. Bloomberg says that what will differentiate it is the inclusion of a camera and other sensors.
Whether that truly makes it an entirely new type of technology is debatable, but it’s not hard to see how such a device could be dramatically more capable than existing smart speakers.
But could partly compete with AirPods Ultra
However, that combination – a device that can talk to us, coupled to cameras to give it awareness of what’s around us – isn’t new. We have it in our iPhone thanks to Visual Intelligence. We’ve also seen it in Meta smart glasses and competing models. Finally, it sounds very much like what we’re expecting from the upcoming AirPods Ultra.
Of course, speakers and headphones don’t compete head-to-head, though there is overlap between the usage cases. A smart speaker is more convenient at home, requiring nothing in your ears and addressable by more than one person. But OpenAI did specifically talk about a device that you would carry around with you, and I have to say AirPods seem a massively more convenient form factor for use outside the home.
Perhaps we’ll be pleasantly surprised, but as things stand, I can’t imagine routinely carrying a portable speaker around with me other than those times when I already do, such as going away for the weekend and wanting decent-quality music available in my hotel room or holiday apartment. Contrary to what was suggested in the promotional video, I cannot envisage any scenario in which I’d take it to a bar with me.
To me then, AirPods Ultra would seem to have significantly more potential than a smarter speaker. What’s your take on this? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
- HomePod
- Bluetooth speakers
- Official Apple Store on Amazon
- Discounted AirPods Pro 3
- Wireless CarPlay adapter
- AirTag holders and accessories
- Mac Pro-style Mac mini casing
- NordVPN – privacy-first VPN with no logs and independent audits to verify
Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash
