Unfortunately, the inside information collected by The Wall Street Journal from an internal "preview" given by OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman to the AI research organization's employees is not very... precise, focusing more on what the groundbreaking product expected out "late next year" will not be than how it will actually look and behave.
A "third core" device for existing smartphone and laptop users
That's right, Sam Altman (and, presumably, Jony Ive too) expects you to put... whatever OpenAI is preparing on your desk next to your iPhone (or Android handset) and MacBook Pro (or Windows PC) rather than give up on your current gear (for work or fun).
Right off the bat, that makes me skeptical of this product's chances to achieve mass appeal, especially without any kind of screen in tow. Yes, Altman and Ive reportedly want to "wean users from screens" and at the same time somehow ship 100 million units of... this thing "faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before."
Sam Altman expects this mystery product to be a bigger deal than ChatGPT. | Image Credit -- OpenAI
To put that number in perspective, a mobile industry giant (and veteran) like Oppo shipped an estimated 104 million smartphones in 2024 around the world. A more relevant comparison would probably be with the first-gen iPhone, which crossed the one million unit sales mark 74 days after its release back in 2007, ending its entire commercial run with only a little over six million copies sold worldwide.
Of course, times have changed since 2007 (and Oppo's 2024 shipment total makes that abundantly clear), but Sam Altman's hardware sales ambitions remain... hugely optimistic (to say the least). For what it's worth, OpenAI's founding father is aware that his company won't be able to "ship 100 million devices literally on day one", although that's not stopping Altman from promising employees they'll be a part of the "biggest thing we've ever done as a company here." Yes, apparently bigger than ChatGPT itself.
Not a phone, not a pair of glasses, not "something to wear on the body" in any form
I told you this report was more negative than positive, so don't act surprised that you can't envision its design after the first clues leaked from the inside. The positive things we can say about OpenAI's potentially revolutionary "companion" device is that it will apparently be "unobtrusive", "fully aware of a user's surroundings and life", as well as capable of both fitting in your pocket and resting on your desk depending on your changing needs throughout the day.
Existing devices don't amount to the sci-fi dream of what AI could do to enable you in all the ways that I think the models are capable of.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, May 2025
If you're expecting me to try to anticipate a form factor based on these "revelations", I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you, as I feel I have better chances of getting the next lottery numbers right than Jony Ive's design plans. What's even worse is that this complete uncertainty could well linger on for quite some time, at least if OpenAI manages to keep the product as "stealthy" as Sam Altman wants to avoid other companies potentially copying its appearance and functionality before it's ready to take over the world.
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Of course, that might be yet another unrealistic goal that the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google probably set for themselves every time they start working on a new product... without any hopes of actually succeeding.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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