OpenAI’s new AI smart speaker will reportedly sell for between $300-$400
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- OpenAI's AI smart speaker will reportedly retail for $300-$400 per unit, well above the $40-$240 range of most Amazon smart home speakers.
- The device is "donut-shaped," constructed from "high-quality metal" with a "premium look" and unexplained "moving parts," according to Bloomberg.
- The donut form factor is designed so users can carry the speaker between rooms and place it on surfaces like bedside tables or kitchen counters.
- LoveFrom, the design studio founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, is partnering with OpenAI on the hardware, with a 2027 release targeted.
- Apple has sued OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft tied to its hardware push; OpenAI has denied wrongdoing.
Why it matters: OpenAI is entering a notoriously thin-margin smart speaker market at a price point roughly 2-4x higher than Amazon's dominant Echo lineup, while simultaneously defending an Apple trade-secrets lawsuit that could constrain its hardware roadmap before the 2027 launch window.
