After much speculation about OpenAI’s potential entry into the hardware segment, the ChatGPT maker has officially confirmed the move. The AI giant has officially announced the acquisition of io, a spinout startup from LoveFrom, founded by the legendary Apple designer Sir Jony Ive. The all-equity deal, reportedly valued at $6.5 billion, shows OpenAI’s clear intentions to move to the consumer hardware segment. And the move itself makes the plan evident as they have chosen Apple’s iconic design veteran Jony Ive and his core team, including former Apple notables Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan, the minds behind many of Apple’s most successful products.
As part of the agreement, Ive and his 55-member team will oversee OpenAI’s creative and design efforts while continuing to operate independently. While the exact nature of OpenAI’s AI-powered consumer devices remains uncertain, reports suggest the first product may launch by 2026.
Taking to social media, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said the goal is to help people use AI to create all sorts of things. But before OpenAI introduces the first AI-powered hardware, here is a look at the iconic designs Jony Ive created for Apple, which helped the iPhone maker expand its presence globally.
iMac (1998)
It was Jony Ive’s design when Apple brought the translucent, colorful shell, ditching the beige boxes, enhancing the computer aesthetics. With this, the company, for the first time, adopted the USB and ditched the floppy drive.
iBook G3 (1999)
The iBook G3’s clamshell design was inspired by the iMac to go. It offered colorful, translucent shells in Blueberry, Tangerine, Indigo, Graphite, and a Key Lime variant. It did not feature pinstripes and is known for its durability. It was the first mainstream laptop with built-in Wi-Fi, aimed at students and creatives.
iPod (2001)
Among the most transformative devices in the early 2000s, the iPod changed the way people listened to music. It had a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and an intuitive click-wheel interface. The iPod featured clean lines, a compact form factor, and a user-centric interface that set new standards in consumer tech. If reports are true, Ive took inspiration from classic industrial design, including the Braun T3 radio.
iMac G4 (2002)
The iMac G4’s was a bit different from the conventional desktop of its time. It offered sunflower-inspired shape and combined a 10.6-inch hemispherical base housing all the internal components and a flat-screen LCD mounted on a sleek stainless steel adjustable arm. It allowed the display to be tilted, adjusted without requiring much effort.
iPhone (2007)
The first-ever iPhone, also called the most disruptive product of the 21st century, also came from Ive’s list of ideas. It brought together the music, internet, and a phone in a sleek form factor, and touchscreen, attracting millions of users worldwide.
MacBook Air (2008)
The MacBook Air came out as an ultra-portable laptop when it debuted in 2008. It was crafted from a single block of machined aluminum, offering an exceptionally thin and lightweight profile, tapering from the back to the front in a wedge shape.
iPad (2010)
The first-generation iPad was the company’s first tablet computer, marking the beginning of a new era. The device featured a 9.7-inch touchscreen, Apple A4 chip, and was available in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G variants. It ran on iOS and supported web browsing, email, multimedia, and apps via the App Store. It did not have the cameras.
iOS 7
Jony Ive took charge of software design and introduced a massive overhaul in the operating system, iOS 7. It was a flat, minimal and a colourful redesign which has set the tone for modern mobile interfaces.
Apple Watch (2014)
Apple’s first ever wearable, which aimed to bring together health, fashion, and tech, was introduced in 2014. It had a square face, modular bands, and made it unique thanks to the integration with the iPhone.
Apple Park (2017)
Apple’s headquarters also have Ive’s design touch. With Foster + Partners, he shaped the massive circular campus in Cupertino like one of his precision-designed products.
Now that Ive has partnered with OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman expressed his excitement, stating that he is thrilled to be collaborating with Jony and referring to him as the ‘greatest designer in the world’. However, it is unclear how OpenAI will approach product development, innovation, and launch. Stay tuned to Digit for all the latest updates.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
