OpenAI's ring-shaped smart speaker will reportedly cost between $300 and $400

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We typically expect Mark Gurman at Bloomberg to have the latest tips on Apple tech, but today he's sharing info about OpenAI's planned move into hardware. After reporting a wave of details last month about the smart speaker in development at the AI company, today he's got additional insights about the device.

Sources told Gurman that the product would have a ring-shaped design about the size of a hockey puck. The form factor is meant to be battery-powered and portable, so a user could easily carry it around with them. It reportedly has components that will be able to move on their own, which seem intended to make the product more lifelike and engaging. Although this inaugural piece of hardware does not appear to be equipped with a screen, it will have a camera system and sensors to monitor the environment.

As one might expect after OpenAI shelled out $6.5 billion for Jony Ive-helmed startup io to spark this hardware pivot, the price point reportedly being discussed is high. Sources told Gurman that the OpenAI device might retail for $300 to $400. That's notably more than most other smart speakers on the market, even high-end ones. We already foresaw this hardware experiment potentially becoming an expensive side quest that ultimately fails if consumers aren't willing to pay whatever price the company does eventually set. Having a chance to gauge buyers' reactions to this rumored price before the anticipated launch in 2027 could see OpenAI attempt to revise its cost plans.