OpenAI is developing a premium, screenless, doughnut-shaped smart speaker the size of a hockey puck, targeted for a 2027 launch with an expected price point between $300 and $400.
Imagine this: You sit down on your living room sofa after work and pick up a light, doughnut-shaped device. It has no screen and no buttons, but when you speak to it, the device moves slightly, emits a glow, and asks in a friendly voice how your day was. It sounds like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it?
OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT we all know, is working to turn this imagination into reality. Recently, specific details about the first piece of hardware being developed by OpenAI have been emerging through foreign media, sparking high anticipation. How exactly will this device change our daily lives?
Why does this matter?
Until now, most of the smart speakers or AI assistants we have used have been “stationary” beings. They sat on desks or shelves, responding only through voice. However, this device OpenAI is preparing is designed with the premise that it is “meant to be held.” [Source 3, Source 10]
This signals that our relationship with AI is moving beyond simply asking questions and receiving answers; it is entering our physical space and behavior, much like a pet or a personal assistant. For those of us with “tech neck” from staring intently at smartphone screens, a screenless AI hardware device offers a new user experience, providing some liberation from digital overload.
Easy to understand: A hockey puck? A doughnut?
To understand what the device looks like, let’s use an analogy. Think of a “hockey puck” (a round, flat disc) used in ice hockey games. [Source 6] OpenAI’s device is about that size and shaped like a “doughnut” with a hole in the middle. [Source 4, Source 10]
Simply put, it is like taking existing smart speakers, compressing them into something much smaller and sleeker, and making them handheld. [Source 7] It is not just the appearance that is fascinating. The device has no screen at all. [Source 5] Instead, it is equipped with a camera, microphone, and speakers, and the most interesting point is that it contains “moving parts.” [Source 3, Source 10]
What do these parts do? When the device is listening or responding to you, it physically demonstrates that it is interacting with you by moving slightly or emitting light, as if it were a living thing. [Source 10] This is a feature that makes you feel that AI is not just software, but an entity reacting beside you.
Where are we in the process?
If this device were released, when would it be most useful in our lives? For example, when you need to check a cooking recipe or leave an urgent memo while on the go, you wouldn’t need to look for your smartphone. A screenless environment prevents distraction, allowing for more efficient interaction. OpenAI appears to want to make this device not just an electronic gadget, but a “companion” that interacts with the user. This will be an important turning point where AI can make our digital environment more human-centric.
Current Situation: OpenAI Aiming for Premium
OpenAI does not seem to intend to make this an entry-level product that anyone can easily buy. According to reports, the device will emphasize its value as a “premium product” by using “upscale materials” for a “luxurious exterior.” [Source 8]
The price also reflects this. The expected price is between $300 and $400, which is significantly higher than typical mass-market smart speakers. [Source 3, Source 4, Source 8]
What happens next?
Currently, this ambitious hardware from OpenAI is being developed with a target launch for 2027. [Source 4, Source 9] What we need to pay attention to moving forward is what kind of “intelligence” OpenAI will pack into this small device.
For a device that operates only through voice and movement without a screen, a conversational ability that is much more sophisticated and context-aware than the current ChatGPT is essential. Can OpenAI really release a “moving doughnut” that truly understands us by 2027?
MindTickleBytes AI Reporter’s Perspective
OpenAI’s hardware challenge seems to be an attempt not just to build a speaker, but to give us physical possession of AI—an otherwise invisible presence—in the palm of our hands. I look forward to the potential of this new interface and seeing how deeply humans and AI can interact in a screenless environment.
References
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[OpenAI’s ‘hockey puck-sized’ gadget to cost over $300 LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/openais-hockey-puck-sized-gadget-to-cost-over-300-8440609/) - OpenAI reportedly developing smart speaker priced over $300…
- Bloomberg Details OpenAI Doughnut-Shaped Smart Speaker · Digg
- OpenAI’s First AI Hardware Revealed: Puck-Sized… - Odaily
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT Speaker Will Be Hockey Puck-Sized and Cost…
- OpenAI speaker to be hockey puck-sized and cost over US$300…
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT Speaker Will Be Hockey Puck-Sized and Cost…
- Report shares new pricing and design details about OpenAI’s first device - 9to5Mac
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[Jony Ive’s first OpenAI gadget is reportedly a hockey puck-sized smart speaker The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/976431/openai-chatgpt-battery-smart-speaker-rumor) - Mark Gurman on X: “NEW: OpenAI’s device - a human-like smart speaker - will look like a doughnut and be the size of a hockey puck. It meant to be held. It has a camera, speakers, microphones, lights and, most notably, moving parts to show interactivity. It’ll be $300-400.”
- OpenAI’s new hardware leak: Same size as an Alexa Dot
- A rectangular smartphone form factor
- A hockey puck-sized, doughnut shape
- A cylindrical tower design
- Includes a screen (display)
- Equipped with a camera and microphone
- Contains moving parts for interaction
- $50–$100
- $150–$200
- $300–$400