He took Apple’s hardware design to new heights – can Jony Ive do the same for the burgeoning market for AI-centric hardware?
That’s the hope for Ive’s next project, which will see the veteran designer team up with ChatGPT developer OpenAI for a new hardware device that leverages the company’s rapidly evolving AI products.
The partnership, which was rumored earlier this year, has now been confirmed New York Times profile Explores Ive’s post-Apple independence, including discussions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The article says the pair have agreed to partner with a new “artificial intelligence device company” for a product that “uses artificial intelligence to create a computing experience that’s less socially disruptive than the iPhone.” Apple itself is not against the integration of artificial intelligence – the latest iOS 18 the release is set to receive an update that will include baked-in access to ChatGPT and OpenAI technology.
But iPhones, including new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Prostill use AI as a feature rather than a product and it will be a differentiating factor for this new device. OpenAI will be key. What industrial design form it will take is “still to be determined,” but Ive’s team has exemplary pedigree — some of his new staff have worked with him on iPhone designs over the years.
Is the device revolution coming?
Ive’s project would not be the first to attempt to design a bespoke, purpose-built AI device. But the first forays into the market were mixed at best.
The Rabbit R1 was released earlier this year and impressed with its cute phone-like design. But its true utility, replacing traditional applications for generative AI answers, has been elusive. Likewise, the Humane AI pin started off with great hype, but soon fell completely out of the constraints presented by the wearable form factor.
But if anyone can create an AI device form factor that actually works, it’s Ive. His attention to detail has had a profound impact on the world of technology, revolutionizing the design of computing devices. If his focus was ever in question, take this secondary excerpt from the article: he just spent five years working on a book about it. history of keys.
Jony Ive says he spent 5 years working on a book about buttons pic.twitter.com/PqWhQ8KYLRSeptember 23, 2024
